Solitary Gunshot
by glindalupin
Summary: It takes a solitary gunshot to make Danny and Mac realize what they have in each other. Rated for language, violence, and finally sexual content. MacDanny, who belong to CSI NY. Epilogue is up!
1. Chapter 1

A/N Okay this just came to me randomly a while ago. I would uploaded it earlier but somethign was up. Okkies here's the sitch: This chap is rated T for violence and language. Rating will go up in later chapters for slashy situations. But PLEASE don't kill me for getting Mac shot... I just thought there should be a MacDanny fic in which Mac gets shot and not Danny, for a change... I dunno... just enjoy for now because the relationship bit comes later! EDIT: I switched a word to make more sense, and I changed the rookie's findings. I was recently given the realization that you can't really tell what type of gun was used just by looking at the DB before the autopsy. Thanks again to my informant!

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Sirens blared loudly outside the car, resonating shrilly in Danny Messer's ear as he and Mac Taylor drove to the crime scene. Danny glanced over at his boss, who was gripping the wheel fiercely with a determined grimace, weaving in and out of lanes fixedly but quickly. Danny sighed, ready to face another dead body and new crime, wishing somewhere along the line he'd work up the courage to tell Mac he was in love with him. 

Danny had loved him for a long time, in between the screw-ups and successes, the laughter and sorrow, the anger and amusement. Somewhere in those long yet paradoxically short years he developed feelings for Mac. The way he was a natural leader; the way he could command silence in a room with one look; the way he secretly sought justice with passionate energy; the way he was still a human behind it all at times, times at which Danny would find him slumped up against the wall in the locker rooms, just thinking. And it pissed him off that he was so close to him all the time but never felt that he was close enough to comfort him or tell him the truth.

Mac jolted him out of his thoughts, gruffly saying, "Come on, Danny; we're here." They hopped out of the SUV and grabbed their gear. The cop on the scene briskly walked over to the approaching CSIs. "Hey, I'm Detective Taylor, and this is Detective Messer. Where's the DB?"

"She's in the apartment. Let me tell ya, it's not pretty. It looks like she was shot by a handgun, could be anything. I dunno...Poor kid…" The officer led the CSIs to the scene and started shifting his feet when they started processing. "Umm… hey, I'm new at this, and I think… I need to get some air…"

Mac looked back at the cop who was running for the door, looking very green. "Not gonna make it very far in this town if he can't handle the pressure." Danny nodded in agreement. Mac noticed a red fiber on the victim's clothing, photographed it, and picked it up with tweezers, showing it to Danny. "What do you make of this?"

Danny peered over and commented, "It could be from the suspect. Let's bag it and tag it." Danny looked around the room. "Jesus Christ, this place is a war zone. Look at the mess! Probably was looking for something…"

"The question is, did he find it? Was it worth shooting some girl over?" Mac looked once again at the victim. "Nothing's worth doing this… she can't be older than 20…" Danny and Mac shared a moment of silence as they continued to search for more clues. The younger CSI found a fingerprint on the victim's wallet, but the wallet wasn't missing any cash or any credit cards.

He was about to show Mac his findings when there was a crash in the closet. Mac's eyes widened as took out his gun, pointing at the door and silently motioning for Danny to do the same. "NYPD!" Mac yelled towards the door.

Danny inched closer as the door erupted open and a bear of a man lashed out at the younger man, pulling him into a death clench, pointing a black pistol at his head. "Move and I'll kill him," he hissed to Mac. His eyes were frightened but angry.

Mac's mind raced, fearing quietly for Danny as he spoke calmly. "Sir, I can understand you're scared, but please, no one has to get hurt today. Just let him go…" He moved every so slightly in their direction.

It was not unnoticed by the suspect, who grasped harder onto Danny. Danny was now struggling against the perp wildly, gasping for air, both of which were testaments to the man's strength if he could hold Danny down. The man yelled, "Don't FUCKING move, or I will kill him!" He raised his gun and shot above Mac's head. Mac ducked defensively, gun still raised. "I'm not joking; I will kill him, so just put your gun down."

Mac and the perp exchanged glares heatedly, until Mac's face contorted into defeat. He placed his gun on the ground and slid it to the perp's feet. _Pick it up… pick it up... _Mac didn't have to wait long because just then, the perp bent over, still clutching Danny, to grab the gun. Mac sprung into action and took out his ankle pistol quickly, not before a shot rang out in the morning air.

Mac stumbled backwards and then stood still for a second. He took in what was before him: the suspect was holding his smoking gun, pointed directly at him. Mac looked at Danny, whose face was a cocktail of horror and shock, screeching, "MAC!"

It was then Mac realized he had been shot.

Pain blossomed in his chest, which he clawed at to feel a sticky warm liquid. Mac's eyes widened blankly as he stared at his reddened fingers, feeling everything in his body start to quiver. To Danny, time seemed to stop as Mac fell into a swooping arc to the floor to land with a sickening thud, his body trembling with pain.

Danny felt like throwing up, but knew he had to act now before he lost any chances of saving Mac. The perp had lessened his grip, allowing Danny to twist away and deliver a fierce punch to his attacker's head. The blow glanced off of him, as the bear-like man retaliated and shoved Danny into a table and ran.

Danny saw stars for a few seconds, reaching his hand up to the back of his head, where he noticed a little bit of blood was flowing. But he didn't care… nothing else mattered but Mac.

Danny heard a groan come from Mac's body, as he quickly scampered to his side. Mac looked up at him with a frightened deer-in-the-headlights gaze. "Oh God… Mac stay with me, okay? Don't leave me here…" Danny grabbed Mac's radio and yelled into it, pressing his free hand over Mac's on the gushing wound. "I need an ambulance now! I have an officer shot!" He threw the radio angrily away and looked down sadly at Mac. "Mac, you're gonna be okay, you hear?" He reached up and stroked Mac's hair gently.

Mac blinked frequently, trying to make clear his vision of Danny, who was becoming more and more blurry as the seconds rolled by. The pain was ebbing, something he faintly recalled was due to the brain shutting it off because there was an overload, but Mac was still scared as hell. He wasn't afraid of dying. Hell, there were days when he wished for death… Mac was more terrified of leaving this earth without saying the three words to Danny that he heard vaguely as he slipped into unconscious.

"_I love you…"_

_

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A/N Mac ISN'T dead! I swear! Him getting shot is what brings them together, so I won't kill him, I promise!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Okay, this is the second chapter, and yeah, I know, there aren't any MacDanny interactions, just a build up of tension and more background into their relationship, which hasn't been formed yet, of course. Still rated T for language, and characters still belong to CSI NY. Enjoy!

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Danny was silently praying to himself, as he paced back and forth under the scanty illumination. _Let him be okay… Please, God… I've never asked for anything from You, but I am now… Let him live…_

He grew more and more frustrated, as his mind returned to the present: a crappy waiting room at the hospital, waiting for what seemed like a hellish eternity for news. Danny sat down uneasily, still ceaselessly moving, his foot bouncing up and down in nervous energy. He tried to keep from biting his nails, so as to leave them for evidence, but the overpowering urge was nearly too much not to succumb to. Danny felt like crying; he felt like it was his fault Mac was in surgery at this moment, possibly dying; he felt that it was his fault for getting him shot in the first place; he felt like it was his fault for ever falling in love him, making this fear he had inside magnify to insane but perfectly rational proportions.

Danny was interrupted by Stella and Flack running in his direction. Stella looked like she had been crying on the way over, her eyes red and puffy. Judging by her voice, she had been. "Oh God, are you okay? Is Mac…?" She tried to hug Danny, but he shook her off quickly, choosing to take her hand in his gently.

"Sorry, Stell… It's just I wanna keep the evidence fresh…" He gripped tightly at her hand, his hand quivering in hers. "Oh fuck…" he moaned, taking his head in his hands, falling to the chair. "Damn, headache…"

Stella looked warmly but scoldingly down at Danny. "You need to let a doctor look at you, Danny."

He shook his head softly. "I'm not going anywhere until I find out what happened. Besides, the guys in the ambulance checked it out on our way over." Danny blinked, trying to rid his mind of that horrid journey, sirens wailing mournfully as time seemed to slide into a standstill whilst Mac was laying stiffly on the gurney, unconscious and barely breathing.

Stella took Danny's arm, and Flack got the other, both helping him to his feet. "At least let me process you. I'll tell a nurse where to come find us, so if we get any news, we'll know right away, okay?" Danny nodded quietly. "We're all in this together…"

Stella removed herself from the group to find a nurse, so Flack tried to calm Danny in her absence. "Danny, it's okay… Mac's a frikkin Marine, so he'll pull through, okay? Don't think for a minute that he won't."

Danny cursed under his breath. "But what if he doesn't, Flack? What if he doesn't? What then?"

"You haven't told him, have you?" Flack heard Danny sigh in response to his question. Danny had told Flack a long time ago about his feelings for Mac, something Flack would tease Danny for every so often: the way Danny's head perked up at the sight of Mac, the way his shoulders tensed whenever Lindsay stole a little bit of his sunshine. And Flack felt sickened, that all of that could be snatched away by one gunshot.

Flack's ears were tuned into the sounds of soft crying. He looked over at Danny, who had once again found his way into a chair, knees drawn up into his chest, his face buried away from sight. His body was convulsing with sobs. Flack sat next to him and tried to console him without touching him. "Shh… it's okay…. Everything's alright." Danny still cried. "Come on, Danny, you're gonna mess up the evidence with tears."

Danny sniffed indignantly and pulled his head up and uncurled himself, tears still rolling down his face defiantly. Stella arrived just then, silently acknowledging that Danny didn't want to talk about it.

She gave Flack a knowing look as they led him to the room. The two shared something in common: both of their best friends were in love with each other, something they revealed accidentally one day. So the two were constantly plotting a hook-up for Mac and Danny. And now here they were with one of their good friends shot, and the one who loved him trying to collapse upon himself against the love he felt, prompted on by his guilt. Flack and Stella were too stubborn to let that happen to their months of work, plus they cared about Mac too much to watch something as horrifying as this happen and see his love blame himself for it.

Stella sighed as she let Danny and Flack enter the room first to let Danny change into a hospital gown carefully, allowing him professional courtesy in his grievous state. She entered stealthily, and began her work. Fingernails, DNA from the neck abrasions, a dark brown hair still amazingly resting on Danny's blonde tufts.

As she was putting everything away, the young cop from earlier that day appeared. "Is Detective Taylor alright? The nurse said you'd be in here, so…"

Danny cut him off, viciously snarling, "Oh yeah, he's alright. If you call being in emergency surgery with a severe gunshot alright." The cop blinked at the obvious anger, as Danny continued, approaching the cop menacingly. "And none of that would have happened if you had checked the FUCKING CLOSET!" Danny pounced, but Flack caught him before he ever hit his target. Danny struggled as Stella ushered the cop out of the room, muttering half-hearted apologies. "Let me GO, damnit! I'm gonna make sure that PUNK never works in this city AGAIN!"

Suddenly, he calmed in shame, pulling away swiftly from Flack. "Sorry, Don… it really isn't that kid's fault… Well, part of it is, but I shouldn't have jumped like that."

Stella reentered excitedly, her voice aquiver with anticipation, "Boys, the nurse says he's out of surgery and in recovery. And Danny… he's asking for you…"

Danny had already flown out the door before she finished but stopped at the last bit. His heart sunk a few feet, as if someone filled it with bricks. He turned ever so slightly and asked her, "_Just_ me?"

Stella nodded and looked at Flack, barely able to conceal a smile. Danny just nodded and quickly bounded in the direction of the nurse to get Mac's room number. Stella watched him go, letting the smile appear and flashed it at Don. "There may be hope for those two yet…"

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A/N so what did you think? If you like it so far, stick around to the next chappy because Danny goes in to talk to Mac, and they don't exaaaactly hook up yet, but they sorta do. The idea I have in my mind seems kinda cute, but hmmm... I need to type it son before it flutters away. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Augh here's chappy 3. I actually decided to stave off part of the cuteness I was referring to for the next chapter. Oh well, at least you get part of it... Characters belong to CSI:NY, and the rating is _still_ T.

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Mac gruffly sat up in his bed and attempted to look somewhat presentable, but to no avail. He gave up and slumped against his pillow, trying to ignore the way the bandages were bound tightly around his chest. Mac's eyes fluttered and closed for a moment, trying to take in a second's rest, yet his mind wouldn't let him. He couldn't get his mind off of the way Danny screamed, his face horrified and pained. He involuntarily shuddered. 

But then, from the shadows and recesses of his mind, a faint memory made itself known. It was from when he was passing out. A man's voice, choked with tears, whispering softly. _I love you…_ Mac's mind reeled at the returned memory. He tried to convince himself it could have been the severe loss of blood that made him hear things, or post traumatic stress was inventing memories, but Mac felt that too familiar ache in his heart that always appeared when he thought of Danny in a romantic light.

A sound made him snap his eyes open. The door had creaked ever so slightly, and Danny peered warily at him from behind the door. Mac allowed himself a small, weak smile, which was invitation enough for Danny to walk in, cautiously shutting the door behind him.

Mac instantly noticed the splotchy redness around Danny's eyes and the tear streaks that were still fresh. He tried to ease Danny, who silently sat himself in the chair closest to the bed. "Hey, the doc says I'm gonna live, Danny!" He chuckled bemusedly, "But not if they expect me to eat this shit they call food."

Danny did not share in his laughter, looking away morosely. Mac felt as if someone had shoved a knife in his gut and twisted it cruelly, for he knew exactly what was going through the younger man's mind; he'd seen it in battle way too many times to count. Mac's voice took on a sharp tone. "Don't you _dare_ think any of this was your fault." Danny still didn't raise his eyes to meet Mac's. The older man slightly bristled, but he softened his voice. "Danny, please look at me…" Danny complied, slowly raising his head until his baby blue eyes met Mac's emeralds ones.

They remained that way for a few seconds, unspoken tension and pleadings for forgiveness thundering restlessly in the silence they had taken on. Danny was the first to break the spell. "Mac…" He gulped to clear the knot developing there and continued painfully. "Please, don't be angry with me… but I can't help but feel it's somewhat my fault…"

Tears began to leak from Danny's eyes, which never wavered from Mac's intense gaze. Mac finally spoke again. "I… I already told you it wasn't your fault." Danny detected that air of decisiveness that Mac often lilted his words with. "The only person to blame is that… that… bastard…" Mac sighed, reaching his hand for Danny's and grasping it tightly, for fear of his own tears that were starting to form.

Danny was silent as Mac released his hand and reached up to shamefully wipe away some of the tears that had fallen. "Damn, I haven't seen those in so long, I had almost forgotten I even had tear ducts." Danny laughed this time with Mac, a sound that would have broken the hearts of anyone who had heard the fervent emotions that laced themselves in the outburst.

Danny quickly rubbed away his own tears as Mac returned his hand to Danny's. Nevertheless, Mac changed matters to business. "Danny, I'm going to put Stella and Flack on the case." Danny's eyes widened in protest, but Mac cut him off before he could verbalize it. "You can't be on this case, Danny. You just can't."

Before he could explain, Stella and Flack crept in and nearly pounced on the unsuspecting CSI. Danny couldn't help but notice all the emotions Mac had settled upon his face just seconds before were dissembled into feigned joy. Words and attempted hugs were exchanged, until Flack aggressively popped the question. "We're gonna go after this bastard. Right, Mac?"

Mac nodded gravely, inconspicuously removing his hand from the clasp with Danny's to point at Stella and Flack. "I want you two on it, okay? But listen, focus on the case that Danny and I were working on and _not_ the shooting, alright?"

Flack's head tilted in confusion. "Why isn't Danny on this? It _was_ his case, too."

Danny inwardly sighed, waiting nervously for the answer he hadn't gotten because of the interruption. Mac chose his words carefully. "I need objectivity in order to get clear evidence… And Danny was there when it all went down, so like any other person in his situation, he would find it damn near impossible to achieve that."

Stella placed a hand on her hip and glared down at Mac. "But then, I think any of us would find it hard to be _objective_ if someone we cared about was nearly killed."

Mac and Danny looked frightfully at her, worried that the intent of her accusation was to reveal their secret. But Danny realized Stella didn't know about his closeted skeleton, or did she? He eyed Flack in a new light, cautious and slightly angry.

Mac groaned loudly, "Stella, please…" Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly. He returned the angry look, stating heatedly, "Look! I know you all have attached emotions with this case, but Danny just _can't_ be on it! IAB is still breathing down his neck, and if they see he's still on this case, they may start looking for tainted evidence. _Which_," he added, "is total bullshit, but you know how they look for things that aren't there in people they have a problem with. I can't have Danny up to his ears in that fucking bureaucratic nonsense! He's got enough on his plate as it is…"

Stella looked at her feet, slightly embarrassed. "Damn… I don't know how you can manage to think logically after being shot…"

"And on morphine," Mac added playfully, trying to ease the tension that once again had permeated through the room.

A nurse popped in the door at that moment. "Visiting hours are nearly up, and Detective Taylor needs his rest, so…"

Flack waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know the drill." The nurse left indignantly, as Flack turned back to the injured man. "Well, I guess we better bounce. It looks like we've got a buttload of work ahead of us." Flack looked at Danny and rumpled his hair playfully. "See ya."

Stella pecked Mac on the cheek and then Danny and followed Flack without another word. Danny sighed and started to get up from his chair. "Well, I guess I'll be heading out, too."

Both felt broken and bruised, internally and externally, ligature marks courtesy of what they thought was the other's spurn of affection. Mac knew he had to right at least some of it. His voice quivered vaguely as he questioned, "Danny… you aren't upset I took you off the case, are you?"

Danny glanced back at his boss and ran a hand through his hair. "Actually, I am upset, but not at you. Never at you…" His heart pleaded with him to say the words he whispered what seemed like ages ago at the crime scene, but his head said to leave before more damage was done. "Well, Mac, I need to go, but I'll come see you first thing tomorrow. I promise." He turned quickly to leave when four words hit him like a knife.

"Stay with me? _Please_?"

There was such fear and suffering and panic in the voice that Danny couldn't say no. "Of course, Mac. Of course… Oh wait, that nurse Nazi won't like it. And speak of the devil!"

The same nurse nearly smacked the door into Danny in her anger. She looked furious as she opened her mouth to berate Danny. Mac silenced her with the same hurt and jaded voice Danny heard only moments before. "Ma'am… would it be alright if he stayed with me? I… I don't have any family, and I… to be honest, I don't feel comfortable in a hospital setting. Just a thing I picked up in the Marines."

The nurse nodded abstractedly and exited the room swiftly in her shocked sympathy. Danny watched her leave amusedly and turned to face Mac, when he noticed Mac had already fallen asleep, chest rising and falling beneath the covers.

"That was fast," he whispered, settling himself into the uncomfortable chair, effortlessly gliding into slumber himself moments later, the last mental image in his mind being a beautiful depiction of one Mac Taylor sleeping soundlessly.

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A/N What did you think? Oooooh I wish it wasn't so late otherwise I'd type the next part... cries 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Hooboy... I like this chappy. All the secrets come out! Oh yes, thank you fruitbat00 for the Stella idea bit! And thank you Dybdahl, for your support and cookie/candy to keep me going lol! Ok this chappy is still rated T, and characters _still_ belong to CSI:NY. Enjoy! EDIT: Fruitbat00 let me in on a boo-boo I made with the whole movements Mac was aming, as they wouldn't feel so good after being traumatically shot. So I added a couple lines here and there to make it work!

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Danny awoke to the sounds of muffled yelps, coming from Mac. He rolled over onto the floor haphazardly and got up frantically to try to grasp at Mac's shoulders. 

Mac was thrashing wildly now, yelling with fright. Danny tried to hold him still, worrying that his wound was about to reopen violently, but Mac struggled against him. "No! Leave him alone! No…. please… oh God, no, not Danny… Danny… DANNY!" Mac shot upwards, nearly knocking Danny over, eyes flooded with tears as they opened. Mac looked fearfully about until he saw Danny. He clutched possessively for Danny and wrapped his arms about him as a scared child does a teddy bear. "Oh… God… don't leave me; please don't leave me again."

Danny was now fully freaked out. Here was his boss, a man who normally was never fazed by much, clawing at him as if he thought he was about to die, and all he could do was pet him softly and shush away the sobs racking through his body. "Mac, I never even left… and I'm not leaving now." He held Mac at arm's length to look into his eyes. "Mac, I promise… I won't leave you, okay?" Mac nodded silently and rested his head on Danny's chest, sniffling quietly now. Danny sighed, trying to insist to his heart that he was just being a friend, just a friend and that Mac was asking him _just_ to be a friend. He continued to stroke Mac's hair, whispering, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mac slowly but surely nodded, moving away from Danny's embrace. His heart was still racing from the contact, but his embarrassment started to creep back into his face. "It was nothing…" Danny raised an eyebrow threateningly, so Mac sighed, "Okay, but it was just a nightmare. Nothing important…"

"Mac, anything that makes you freak out like that is definitely important to me. So spill. Now."

Mac complied reluctantly, as his hand repeated its actions yesterday and fished for Danny's. When he found that warm contact, he began. "Alright… it started out at the crime scene, and everything was going down as it did yesterday. Up until the part when that perp fires at me. This time, as I reached for my ankle gun, he fires. But… the bullet never hit me. It… it… hit you. He fired the gun into your stomach because you struggled or something, but… oh God… you were lying there looking up at me with the biggest look of shock, and I couldn't do anything. You-you… died… in my arms, and I couldn't do anything…" Tears welled up again in his eyes. "I can't… I just _can't_ let that happen. And not before I get the chance to… to tell you something…" His blue eyes pierced Danny's gaze with such intensity and emotion.

"Tell me what, Mac?" Danny held his breath in a way he hoped was inconspicuous. The way Mac was acting right now, he didn't know what to expect, so he braced himself for something he wasn't even sure of.

Mac inhaled sharply and squeezed Danny's fingers unconsciously. "I think when I woke up just now, I wasn't just waking up from a nightmare. I was metaphorically waking up to something I'd been afraid to acknowledge, but that dream made me realize how close I was to losing one of the most important things in my life. And how stupid I was for not acting upon it sooner." He paused, terrified to continue but the adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, goading him on. "Danny, I almost lost you yesterday, and I never _ever_ want to feel what I felt in that dream. At least not without… not without telling you… I love you."

Silence.

Mac stared fixedly at a hole in his blanket, fidgeting nervously beneath the sheets, a steady blush creeping its way to his paled cheeks. He didn't fight it, as he removed his fingers from Danny's now loosened grasp, avoiding Danny's gaze at all costs.

Danny couldn't describe the feelings he felt inside. Joy he thought he didn't deserve because of the overpowering guilt he held in his heart. But Danny still couldn't withhold the relief and love for his boss any longer; he knew he owed Mac that much.

"Mac?" The blue eyes wavered in the slightest. "I love you too…" Danny leaned over and planted a kiss on Mac's cheek softly, noticing the heat emanating from the course face, and the way Mac gasped faintly in surprise and overwhelming happiness. Danny pulled away, breathless and as if an immense weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He shyly looked at his feet, then at the ceiling, then at the odd random painting of a demented-looking pigeon someone had stupidly placed in the room years ago. But what Danny found himself inevitably looking at, was Mac's smile.

It was an actual smile. One without hidden troubles behind it. One not laced with sarcasm or grim determinism. One without age or weariness. Just a smile of love. And it was infectious, as Danny flashed his pearly whites back. "So, umm… how long have you known?"

"Oh, so I see! I make the first move, and I still have to go first, huh?" He nudged his employee playfully, laughing jovially. "Come sit here with me, and I just might tell you." He scooted over to allow Danny access to the small hospital bed. "Okay, I think this whole thing started around that case at that tunnel site. You remember?" Danny nodded. "Well, you were saying something about the whole brother thing, and I remember how passionate you were. Oh, I don't know anymore… Well, I started noticing things like that for a while, and I will never forget how _scared_ I was when I realized it. It was during the whole... erm… Minhaus incident." They both glanced away for a second. "I… I couldn't figure out why I was so upset, and then, it hit me. I was upset that you thought I didn't have your back. F-Flack told me the day after you told him… but don't blame him because I _vowed_ to myself that I would not let you feel that way again."

His voice faded away to a whisper, which then faded into momentary silence. Until he chuckled nervously. "I'll-I'll never forget how scared I was to tell Stella. Man, I'd thought she'd hate me or something. But I told her, and she just gave me one of those Stella Stares. You know the one… And then she laughed and chided me for thinking she'd hate me. I was so relieved to know someone was cheering me on… So, it's been like this for months, her trying to convince me to talk to you. I always got the feeling she knew more than she was letting on." He looked at Danny and sighed. "Your turn."

Danny smiled half-heartedly and thought for a moment. "You remember that case with the somnambulist? That woman who lost her kid, and tried to bring back the victim the same way her kid's doctor tried to bring her son back? Stella told me how determined and focused you were. She made me realize how much you _care_ about each case… But I think the bomb dropped at that wedding crime scene. We were talking about the doves, and I remember you said that love could have happened to me. Well, it took me a few all-nighters to figure out why I responded so indignantly." Mac watched him, waiting avidly for his response. "I _knew_. I figured out my feelings in that moment because I thought what you said was in fun, no hidden meaning that could ever have been directed at me. I figured you would never feel the same. Or at least that's what I thought. Until now." He looked directly at Mac, goose bumps developing when he acknowledged how close they were, physically and spiritually.

Danny shivered involuntarily as Mac glided, albeit rather painfully from his earlier frantic movements during the nightmare, his way into a tender kiss. Neither wanted to part with the other, for fear it was a cruel dream toying cattily with them, but part they did. Danny euphorically smiled at his boss, a gentle warmth snaking out through his body. It was then he noticed the time. "Shit! It's 4 AM! Mac, you need to get more sleep tonight, alright?"

Danny started to scramble his way off the bed when Mac's hand tugged on his hospital gown. "Stay with me? Here?" Mac pointed to the hospital bed eagerly.

Danny knew Mac was still in terror of that nightmare, so he agreed more than willingly. "Sure, Mac. But we gotta be careful with your injury, alright?"

They cautiously shifted and struggled and laughed a lot as Danny weaseled his way into a comfortable position under the covers beside Mac. "These beds are sure tiny!" he complained lightly, scooting closer to Mac. "But I'm not complaining too much."

"Me neither… Good night…" Mac's eyes closed slowly, his breath coming in longer and deeper, as he felt secure enough with Danny to sleep again without fear of the terrors of the night.

"Good night, Mac." Danny stroked Mac's cheek affectionately, adoring how peaceful Mac looked when he slept; he looked almost like his smile from earlier: no worry or frowns or despair painted upon it.

Danny wrapped one arm around Mac's body protectively and waited for a while to ensure Mac would get through the night without further incidents. Then, he allowed himself to drift into sleep, anticipating the morning to spend more time with his newfound love.

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A/N Thoughts? Oh yeah, I need opinions on if I should put a scene in there... a erm... suggestive scene... It's why I keep saying rating may go up, but I am really doubting putting it in there. Ah heck, I won't. Ok nevermind, I closed the case singlehandedly. But don't worry, I've got more to come. I just gotta come up with it lol... 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Omg I am soooooo sorry for not having this up sooner. I tried on Friday, but when I typed it, it came out like _shit,_ and I just hated the way it was going. so I held it off until today, hoping to get a better idea. Actually, I did during the SAT lol! Those tests are apparently good for something! so anyhoo, the rating is still T, and characters still belong to CSI:NY.

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A grumble erupted from under crumpled sheets as the hospital door opened slowly, shedding light directly on Danny's face. It was the nurse from the night before, glare still plastered on her face as she beckoned Danny over with her finger. 

The young man delicately removed himself from the bed, so as not to wake Mac up or hurt him in any way and walked guiltily to the nurse, who yanked him outside and shut the door. She wheeled on him. "I have put up with your antics long enough, but this is the _last straw! _Do you have _any_ idea how easy it is for him to seriously damage himself? Did you think of that?"

Danny bristled; it was way too early in the morning to be chewed out, unless of course it was by Mac, but that was another story. "_Look_, I just so happen to know exactly how easy it is to hurt him. Which is why at around 3:30 last night, I had to calm him down after a nightmare before he tore open all his goddamn stitches." He calmed down and looked her in the eyes. "You may have to actually look at them. He… thrashed quite a bit before I could stop him, so I think he might actually have done damage. Oh God…" Danny groaned and rubbed his eyes fretfully.

The nurse defrosted in the slightest at the sight of his overpowering concern which was emanating through every part of his body language. "Sir?" Danny looked back up. "I think he'll be okay. He didn't complain of any pain right afterwards, did he?" Danny shook his head. "Yeah, then he sounds alright. I'll still look at him though. But you promise you didn't agitate the wound afterwards?"

Danny laughed, "If you call trying not to move any muscle in your body for that specific reason and attempt to get some sleep at the same time, then no." She smiled sadly and turned to open the door to do her duties when he spoke up. "You know, he just short of begged me to stay and lay with him. He was just so scared, you know? And it really… it really kinda scared _me_ to see him like that… So… do you think I could be the one to wake him up? I promise I'll come get you the moment he's ready."

She paused, but nodded eventually. "Five minutes, and then I'm coming in." She couldn't help but smile at the way he entered the room, trying so hard not to wake his friend. She wanted to peek through the window, but thought better of it and walked away.

In the room, Danny softly and deftly kiss Mac's forehead, breathing "Good morning, sleepyhead," knowing Mac would wake up upon hearing a voice so close to his ear. Slowly, Mac's eyes fluttered open, revealing fatigued green emeralds staring happily at him. "Glad to see you among the awake again."

Mac chuckled slightly, sitting up slowly. He groaned loudly. "Wow… I may have overdone it yesterday… I feel like crap…" Looking at Danny's worried grimace, Mac quickly tried to cover it up. "Actually, I'm not that bad! Really!"

Danny sighed and brushed a lock of hair from Mac's forehead. "I know, but the nurse is still gonna check out your bandages, okay?" He feathered a touch down Mac's cheek, loving the way it elicited a hitched breath and closed eyes. Danny gently breathed into a slow, soft kiss, barely moving his lips, just enjoying the way he and Mac were connected.

The nurse slammed open the door at that precise moment and chided them amusedly. "Tsk, tsk, Mr. Messer. I leave you two alone for five minutes to come back and find you in an overly engaging exercise. Shame, shame."

Mac's face reddened in sheer embarrassment. He stumbled for words to respond to the approaching nurse. "We... I… uh… It wasn't _overly_ engaging!" Mac floundered, causing the nurse to giggle excitedly.

"No need to freak out, Mr. Taylor! Your secret is safe with me! If I had only _known_…" She winked at Danny as she began to examine Mac carefully, changing his bandages when necessary.

Danny stared at his feet pointedly, taking the corner seat and making sure not to catch Mac's eyes because if he did, he was confident he would burst out laughing from the blatant inanity of it all. Except the kiss, of course, because that was serious. At least he hoped so, but judging by the way Mac had been responding lately, he felt pretty sure Mac thought it was serious, too.

"All done! Just a small tear, but it's minute, so no need to worry." Her face suddenly darkened. "Now this time I mean it when I say this man needs his rest. You may stay, Mr. Messer, but not under any circumstances will you let this man get into any _strenuous _activity, you hear?"

Danny gulped in fear of this overtly confusing woman, but Mac laughed. "Yes, ma'am! Just two more things…" She stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip in an annoyed manner. "Am I allowed a phone call?" A sigh, followed by a curt nod. "Thank you, ma'am, but the second thing I had to ask is, are you at all related to Stella Bonasera?" Danny burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer, and she noticed Mr. Taylor chuckling too. She chose to leave the joke between them and left them alone once again.

Danny's laughter ebbed away into short snickers as he walked to the phone to grab it for Mac. "Damn, Mac! Gotta love you for your wonderful comedic timing. _Genius!_" He passed the phone to Mac, shuddering with pleasure as their fingers brushed for a brief second. "Calling Stella now?"

"Yep. Now does this thing have a speakerphone setting?" Danny reached over and pushed the button for him, listening attentively as the rings went endlessly on. "Pick up, pick up," Mac groaned exasperatedly.

Finally, the phone clicked and an abrasive female voice cut in. "Bonasera."

The men grinned, mentally reveling in their earlier joke. "Hey, Stell, it's us. You know, Mac and Danny. Or have you forgotten us?" He winked playfully at Danny.

The voice sounded tinny, but nevertheless joyous. "Oh, so Danny's there, too? So have you told him anything about…?" Her voice tapered away, realizing a little too late that Mac probably had her on speaker. "Oops…"

Before Danny could say anything catty, he heard Flack's voice. "Did Mac just say that Danny was there? _That's_ my boy! Maybe he's finally gonna tell Mac."

Danny heard a large smack, followed by a loud protestation of pain and a stream of curses from Stella. "Hey Stella?" He heard a sharp intake of breath. "Tell Flack that I _did_ tell Mac, and as for you, Mac _did_ tell me." He paused as he noticed the goofy grin on Mac's face. "You two have been trying to get us together, haven't you?"

Flack yelled in mock anger. "Yeah, but I didn't know it was gonna be this fucking _painful_! Daamn, Stella, did you have to punch me so hard?"

Stella laugh came over the line clear as a bell. "Of course, dear Donny." She sighed dramatically. "I guess we're out of a job, then. There will be nothing to plot about anymore after work if you guys already hooked up!"

Stella could hear Mac's smile through the phone. "Yeah, but you can always coach us through this whole dating thing because to be honest, I think I've forgotten how." His tone quickly shifted to his normal business as usual manner. "Stell?"

She picked up on it instantly. "Yeah, Mac? What's up?"

He looked over at Danny and grasped for his hand reflexively. "We need to get a sketch artist in here pretty soon, okay?"

"One step ahead of you, Mac. She's on her way as we speak. With a set of new clothes for Danny," she added cunningly. "I had a feeling you two would work it out last night."

"And that's why you're one of the best detectives in this business," Danny complimented. There was silence on both sides for a brief second, breath held for the troubles that lay ahead for all of them in closing this case.

"So we'll talk to you later, Stella. Call us if anything comes up, okay?" Mac squeezed Danny's hand tightly.

"Of course, Mac. We're gonna get this guy. I promise." The phone clicked, leaving Danny and Mac to silently rack their brains for an ill-begotten prayer, their faith resurrected in that small instance as they clasped their hands together, knowing how lucky they were not to lose more, yet still fervently wishing the one that nearly took it from them wasgiven the justice he deserved.

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A/N comments? sigh Okay, this chapter was actually supposed to be a brief bit of the next scene, but I decided to lengthen it because it amused me. The next chapter involves a bitchy reporter who somehow really pisses off Mac. Lol I can;t write a story without having _some_ pissy!Mac tidbits! It's Gary Sinise's fault for being so _hot_ when he's angry! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Okay this was again a more detailed version of what was originally going to be a smaller incicident with more reporters. And of course, this person is completely fabricated, as is the name of the sketch artist. Oooh and you get a bit more oomph in MacDanny kissing, but not too much because alas, he;s a bit too indisposed to do much. Augh I need to get past this day so he CAN! is in MAJOR need of writing hot sexy MacDanny kissing Lol you're prolly laughing at me Dybdahl, huh? Okay this same goes: Rated T and ownership to CSI NY.

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Danny and Mac were still waiting for the sketch artist when a gaunt woman nosed her way through the door, peering skeptically down at them from behind blue horn-rimmed glasses. Danny nearly jumped five feet in the air, quickly releasing Mac's hand and blushing furiously. Mac just returned her amused gaze with an icy stare. 

"Detective Taylor. So lovely to see you again, despite how _unfortunate _the circumstances." Her voice was acutely aggravating to Danny's ears, a thick mixture of Brooklyn and nasal, just enough to serve up a severe headache. The woman entered the room smugly, her skirt snaking around her calves with every movement.

Mac's lips drew into a disgusted scowl as he spat, "I guess if you don't call a horrific rape and murder of a 16 year old girl unfortunate… Ms. _Dubois._" He practically hissed her last name in utter contempt .The two shared an awkward, vehement silence.

Danny was already worried about the vibe from this woman, and she obviously wasn't liked at _all_ by Mac. He wanted answers. Now. "So, I take it you two have met?"

She batted her heavily made up eyes at him, sighing dramatically. "Oh yes… We met at a crime scene about a year back. Poor girl…" Her voice quavered with false sentiment, at which Mac rolled his eyes. The woman did not let it go unnoticed. "The case was _tragic_, yes. But a rape is a rape, and a murder is a murder."

"You seemed doggedly determined to harass me for info, so I'm getting the feeling it was more important than that." Mac's eyes were slits now.

She chuckled darkly. "It was important to someone, just not to me. At least not until the article got published, anyways. That article turned out to be quite the seller for the magazine and quite the paycheck for me."

Danny felt his stomach churn inside out, as he realized exactly why Mac hated this woman. "You're _sick_." The words felt too mild for the emotions he felt.

She looked cattily at him, appraising him coolly. "No, I think _you_ are, judging by the hospital gown. No, wait! You were also in that shooting, right?" Her eyebrow raised, an action that Danny found adorable when done by Mac, but when she did it, Danny couldn't help but want to smack it off of her.

Mac crossed his arms in annoyance at his sudden realization. "So now we get down to what you're really here for, Ms. Dubois." But his body language conveyed that he really wasn't interested in talking about it. At least not to her.

Ms. Dubois flipped back her golden locks with nonchalance, smiling coyly at Mac. "Ah, it's good to see you're still perceptive after being shot." She returned to her questioning of Danny. "And what about you? I don't remember anyone saying that the _infamous_ Danny Messer got shot as well…"

There was something in her tone that made Danny's head spin with ominous concern, but he chose to answer anyways. "No, I wasn't shot… Actually, I wasn't really injured that bad, just a big bruise on the head." He glanced over at Mac worriedly, at which Mac shrugged. Neither knew where the hell she was going with this.

Ms. Dubois sat herself in the corner chair, whipping out a notepad and pen, scribbling away furiously. She didn't even glance up as she continued to speak. "Kinda interesting, isn't it?"

The detective in Mac was starting to put the pieces together, and the assembled picture was giving Mac a nauseating feeling of fear. "Just _what_ is so interesting? Aside from the fact you're attempting to interview two very unwilling and very annoyed detectives."

She giggled delightedly. "So _feisty_, Detective Taylor! That's what I like about you." From the corner of her eye, she saw Danny stick a finger in his throat and make a gagging noise. She wheeled on him angrily. "_You,_ however, are the reason this whole case is 'interesting'! Don't you find it odd that you were barely scratched while your boss took the brunt of the attack? You're a pretty strong guy, so I find it _very_ hard to believe you were subdued so easily. Aren't I right? I mean, you've got a long list of bad luck lately, at least where it concerns _officer shootings_."

The room was quiet for a minute, the men staring with shocked eyes and hateful glares. Mac's breath came raggedly as he tried to hold his temper. But there was no mistaking the near-homicidal tone in his voice. "_Get out._" Ms. Dubois stood up in determination, almost in defiance. "I said GET OUT! Before I fucking call security to haul your ass out in handcuffs!"

"Have it your way…" she huffed indignantly, spinning on her heel to open the door. "But Detective?" Green eyes that could have killed thousands in their daunting fury were viciously swung in her direction. "I still have my story, and there's nothing you can do about it."

It was a low blow, but not unexpected from her to kick a man when he's already down. But Mac held his dignity well to defend Danny's. "So what? The truth is the truth, which is this: the guy was huge and nearly killed Danny in his grip. There was no way for him or even a guy like Mike Tyson to get away from a guy like that! But you don't seem to care about the truth. Just who do you think they'll believe? Personally, I think they'll pick the two cops…"

A pouty smirk formed from her rouge lips. "Oh yeah? Think this city will believe a former cop killer suspect and someone doped up on morphine?"

Her laughter resounded through the hallways as the door slammed quickly behind her. Mac's chest heaved as he sat up slowly, rubbing his temples with one hand. He let go of the shaky breath he had been holding, nearly broken from her attack. Danny's eyes began to well with tears at the sight of his boss shuddering in anger and defeat.

"Mac, are you okay? I-I'm so sorry…"

Mac spun on him in aggravated despair. "Don't you DARE take the blame for this _shit!_ Do you hear me? If you say any of this is your fault, she wins! And you end up looking guilty. Never _ever_ feel guilty for what happened to me." He paused. "Didn't we already have this discussion?" Danny hung his head in shame, at which Mac swallowed his hurt pride, remembering exactly why he let it get damaged in the first place.

He cupped Danny's chin in one hand and lifted his head so as to see his eyes. "I'm sorry for yelling… it's just… That _bitch_ had no right to accuse you of that! It's the reporters like her that make the media look bad." Danny nodded, attempting to pull away from Mac's caress, still upset that he let Mac down and allowed him to take the brunt of it. "Hey, it's okay!" Mac's fingers traced Danny's jaw line gently, enjoying the rough texture. Danny's baby blues looked sadly up at him. "Are _you_ alright?"

Danny laughed bitterly as one hand reached up to cover Mac's. "That doesn't get to me so much anymore… I got so many nasty comments afterwards that it kinda wore thin after a while. But every once in a while, the wound reopens after so much attack, but this wasn't one of those times. I'm actually more upset that she was so rude to you."

"Well, don't be."

"But, Mac… you were burnt defending me and…" Mac cut him off, kissing him passionately, probably more aggressive than the nurse said he should, but Mac didn't care at the moment. He needed to let Danny know he was alright on the inside, and still madly in love with the young man moaning into his mouth.

Mac may not have cared about hurting his wound, but Danny did. He pulled away from the desperate lips and hand groping at his shirt. "Mac, we can't… At least not for a while…"

"Oh, don't quit on our accounts!"

Mac's and Danny's heads snapped to face the door. Flack and the lab's sketch artist were standing in the doorway. Flack had a grin as wide as Texas, and the artist was trying not to blush. But Mac and Danny were doing plenty of it in her stead. Mac, flabbergasted and embarrassed, yelled in mock anger, "Can't a guy get a moment's peace without interruption?"

Flack laughed. "Aw, cool your heels, boss man. I decided to go ahead and get your account of the story right now, so I caught Stacie here after we talked on the phone and told her to wait up so that we could come see you together. And here are some clothes for ya, Danny. Got 'em from your locker."

He tossed a pair of jeans and a tank at Danny, who caught them in midair deftly. Mac inquired, "Is Stella still at the lab?"

"Yeah, she's in ballistics comparing your bullet to those in the system."

Mac shook his head. "Don't bother." Danny and Flack both looked at him quizzically. "He shot me with my gun." Flack's jaw dropped just as his cell rang. He answered it, grunting yeses every so often before closing it in shock. "Don't tell me. That was Stella to say the bullet came up with a match to my gun?" The question was more of a fact.

"How the hell-?" It was Danny that uttered the question, looking at Mac with wide eyes.

Mac folded his arms and sighed. "Well, when I tossed him my gun and went for my ankle gun, he picked it up and fired at me. I didn't even realize that he had placed his gun in the hand of the arm suffocating Danny."

Danny gasped when he realized Mac was right. "Yeah, when he bent over, he of course brought me down with him, and the gun brushed the side of my head. I thought it was just him holding it to my head, which is why I also thought that's where the shot was going at first until…" His voice withered away, and Flack knew why, as did Mac.

Flack walked over and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Hey, you wanna go change while I talk to Mac?"

Danny looked over at Mac, worried that he would perceive it as weakness. But Mac just nodded, smiling understandingly. Danny fearlessly bent over and pecked Mac on the cheek, but then, all others in the room had witnessed a much more heated version already. He sauntered out of the room, trying to hide the fact he was still shaken,

Flack watched him go, eyes sad yet paradoxically happy. "That kid loves you so much, you know…"

"I do know now."

Flack inhaled sharply. "Yeah." He turned around a winked at Stacie. "Hey, you ain't gonna say anything 'bout this, are you?" She shook her head fearfully, knowing better than to cross any three of the men, for she had heard stories of their wrathful adventures against suspects. "Okay then! Let's get this shindig started!"

* * *

A/N snickers I made Flack say "shindig"! Hehehe! Wow, that was a _long_ chapter, wasn't it? Okay, I have NO idea yet of where I want the next chapter to go yet, so it may be another 2-day break before I update again, but please stick with me! 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Okay, I'll admit that the last chapter wasn't my best. After that, I was seriously thinking of ending the story in this chapter, but then I read your reviews for the last chapter. I think it was MTG(?) who sparked this concept of a Mac POV for this chappy. Once given that idea, this seriously just flowed from my fingertips smoothly. I didn't stop typing for a second lol! Ok hmm... rating is T and characters belong to CSI NY. Enjoy!

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The next day, a very weary Mac Taylor awoke with a fine sheen of sweat across his brow, panting fearfully. He had the dream again. He sat up fretfully, opening his eyes slowly, hoping that his nightmare hadn't been realized and that Danny was still sleeping soundly on the chair he had collapsed on the night before.

But Danny wasn't there.

Mac tried to reason with himself that Danny probably just stepped out for a bit, knowing Mac would be alright by himself for a few minutes. _That's right… He'll be back any minute… _Suddenly, Mac discovered that even thinking logically was painful to him, a sharp pain erupting in his head. He rubbed his temples thoroughly, trying to ignore that the motion was pulling at his wound, making it throb as if he had been shot all over again.

"Shit, that hurts…" Mac dropped back onto his back and stared at the ceiling, contemplating through the pain. The hazy blur of the last few days was coming into focus as he awakened more fully. The shooting, Danny leaning over him, waking up from surgery to freak the nurses out by yelling for Danny. Mac chuckled out the thought but let his mind continue to peruse the events. The night of the nightmare was the first time in a long time that he had really been _scared_, so much that he was willing to confess everything to Danny. And oh God, did Mac remember that first kiss. It was poignant and clumsy and reaching, everything that defined two lost souls suddenly found in each other. Mac smiled faintly, closing his eyes and embracing the memory, allowing it to play out in vivid detail.

But somehow, his mind crept onto the next day, waking up to be _constantly_ interrupted as he and Danny were trying to figure out where they were in their relationship. The nurse, that… that _bitch_, and then Flack, the copilot to the whole Mac and Danny covert operation. It was _frustrating_ to the detective that he couldn't satisfy his hormonal urges, and Mac was worried that this look-but-don't-touch rule set by the ever-so-cliché Nursezilla was going to result in serious injury. To Danny or himself, Mac didn't know. All Mac knew was that he was human and longed for physical contact.

"Think, Taylor, _think! _You know that the average length of stay for patients with firearm-related injuries is about six days.¹ Soooo about four more days of this crap, and I'll be free to do whatever I want with Danny." He frowned, remembering that he still had all that bedrest bullshit to deal with. "Or not… DAMNIT, why the FUCK did I have to get shot?"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Danny was standing, very amusedly grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Mac stammered, a steady blush creeping across his cheeks. "How long have you been listening to me talk to myself?"

Danny shut the door, leaning against it with a smirk on his face. "Long enough to hear the 'whatever I want' spiel. And what does 'whatever' entail, Detective Taylor?"

The blush burned even darker, as Mac barked playfully, "Hey, don't remind me of what I can't have right now!" He looked down at his hands folded carefully in his lap and exhaled softly. He muttered darkly to himself, "I sound so self-centered, don't I?" His hands contorted and twisted garishly. "I mean, I'm alive… I'm not exceedingly hurt… And I have you." He looked up at Danny, trying and yet failing to avoid letting his eyes show the younger man how much pain his heart and body were in. "Danny, I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, you weren't about to let me take the blame, so I sure as hell ain't gonna let you either." Mac looked away, not wanting to reveal anything else with his eyes; it wasn't like him to wear his heart on his sleeve, but somehow, Danny was changing him. "Mac, look at me!"

No reply came from the older man, as he continued to stare at the wall. He couldn't tell anymore if the pain in his chest was physical damage or the damage caused by five years of hidden emotions. Mac wasn't going to cry again. He just wasn't.

Or so he thought: tears began sailing down his worn and exhausted face, trickling into the sides of his mouth. They tasted like salty and bitter guilt. Guilt from feeling so hormonal and selfish. Guilt from being in love with someone other than his wife. Guilt from nearly letting that someone die. Guilt from realizing that if he died as he often wished he would, people would be left behind as he was when his wife died.

"Damn…" Mac cursed softly at himself and continued to inundate his cheeks with liquefied remorse. The room was as silent as the grave, except for the occasional sharp intake of breath from Mac.

Danny's eyes had never left their position, still gazing at the broken man before him. He let Mac's grief run its course, as he waited for Mac to seek his support, which was held out with bated breath by Danny's reaching heart.

Mac eventually did flail out for that support, turning around to look at Danny. His eyes were swollen and red with their endeavors; the light was barely crackling behind their deadened gaze. He croaked hollowly, "I'm… I don't know what to do anymore, Danny… I'm so sorry for all of this…"

Danny choked back a sob of his own, wrapping his arms around Mac carefully and pulling him into a tender embrace. "Shh… Like I said, it ain't your fault… God… Well, God does everything for a reason, you know…" Mac pulled away and gave Danny a skeptical and bitterly amused look. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, right? Religious nonsense from me? But seriously, I had given up on God for a long time… but… but this whole thing made me think about a lot. You getting shot was awful, something I would never have wanted in this lifetime to happen. Ever. But… God works in strange ways, and maybe this was His message to us that we have to make the most out of life and move on with the people and opportunities before us."

Mac smiled faintly and then cracked, "Couldn't he have sent a FedEx? Or at _least_ a Hallmark saying, 'Hey, you two! Get off your asses and use those detective skills I gave you to figure out what's in front of your own damn eyes'?"

Danny snickered quietly, looked at Mac, who was beginning to chuckle, and then bust out laughing. "See? See, what I mean? Damn, Mac, you're actually pretty funny when you let go of your inhibitions." The laughter ebbed away, both men left to stare at the other thoughtfully. Danny brought a hand up to Mac's cheek and let it glance along the contours of his boss's face. He gently wound his fingers through Mac's short hair, twisting it slowly and deftly. "And you're not selfish, you know."

Mac tilted his head and raised one eyebrow, as if to challenge Danny to defend his statement. But Danny didn't, instead, laughing almost maniacally when he saw Mac's look. "Just _what_ may I ask is so funny?" The eyebrow went higher, as the smile grew wider.

"Oh God… It's just… It's just that _look_! I just wanna either cringe in fear or jump you when you do it, cuz it's so _intense_!" The look abated, another blush taking its place. "And it's fucking _hot_…" Danny grinned wickedly. "That's what I was saying… You aren't the only one wishing the circumstances were different for erm… you know…"

Mac raised his eyebrow again coyly and sniggered when Danny yelled in mock frustration. It was then Mac realized how much he was secretly loving this. This teasing build-up, this sexual tension. It would magnify the real thing significantly. _When it ever happens_, Mac added to his thoughts.

Mac reached out with his body and kissed the unsuspecting Danny on the lips. He ignored the screams from his body that his movement was doing damage, as he continued to explore with his tongue. Mac's eyes stayed opened, watching Danny and his reactions carefully.

Danny had his eyes closed and was moaning softly. Mac noticed how Danny scrunched his face up every time they moved, and Mac realized how worried Danny was about him to hurt himself.

Mac pulled out of the kiss, putting his mouth next to Danny's ear, whispering, "I'm happy with what I have now, but you better believe that when I can have it all, I _will_." He paused before gently leaning away from Danny to see if it had the effects he had hoped for.

It did. Danny was the one blushing now, trying to avoid looking at Mac's mouth, which was now twisted maliciously into a wicked grin. Danny fiddled with his hands, trying to do _anything_ to keep from ravaging that mouth which was taunting him.

He finally found his voice, which was a bit croaky. "That… that wasn't nice, ya know." Danny didn't mean it scornfully, and Mac knew it.

Mac still smirked at him. "Oh, you know you're enjoying this, Messer."

Danny scooted forward, so that he could take his turn to whisper devious things into Mac's ear. "Yeah, boss. I am. But I'll have _you_ know that when the time comes, you will be mine."

Danny had not meant it all of it, of course. There was no way he was going to take the chances of hurting Mac if he was the one in control. But still, it _had_ been fun to say, if only to see Mac desperately try to avoid blushing.

"Ah, don't fight it, boss. You know you want a piece of this."

Mac was able to keep the redness out of his face, becoming slightly serious. "Okay, okay. We had our fun, but we should probably keep it to a minimum, so we don't _actually_ do anything too soon. I guess it'll be like dating…" He glanced about the room disdainfully. "A lousy place to date, but hey, it's who you're seeing that counts."

Danny smiled happily at Mac. He knew Mac was moving on and getting better, at least in his heart, so he was contented. And Mac knew it too. So, all they had to do was let the next few days play out and wait to see where the wind blew them.

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A/N No, I am not ending it yet. and the superscript one thing was because I actually found that stat so as to give a timeline for the story. i'll put the link up in my profile.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N OMG I am SOOO sorry it took this long to get this up! I didn't actually start typing it until yesterday... Part was because I had a busy weekend and part was that I had no clue where to go with the chapter. But I liked the outcome, even if it is one of the longest chapters. Yeah, just warning you on that, but a lot of it is just talking and stuff. But there is more banter and some kissing, plus a lot of stuff on the case. (sighs) Characters belong to CSI NY, and it still is rated T. I have a feeling the rating isn't gonna go up any time soon, or if it even will.

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That day, or Day Three as Danny and Mac had taken to calling it in their anxious countdown, was spent switching to a different room and watching cheesy soap operas on the 10 inch in the new room. The day was slowly dwindling away, recessing into just a memory, as Danny sat beside Mac's bed, gushing at Mac's recent appearance.

"Come on, boss. I'm telling ya! Five o'clock shadow is actually quite sexy on ya!" He grinned boyishly at Mac's frustrated look of disagreement.

Mac ran his fingers over the thickening stubble on his chin. "I dunno… I don't really care much for sexy. At least on me," he quickly added, looking longingly at Danny. Mac smirked, choosing to insinuate a light-hearted insult. "I tend to go for _practicality_ in my look."

The devil in Danny returned, creeping up at the hidden mocking, deciding to amusedly feign indignation. "_Practical_? My scruff _is_ practical! It's good for a lot of things…" Mac raised an eyebrow as invitation to name said uses. "Oh, it's _that_ look again, is it? Well, I'll have you know that I actually have a good use for this." The eyebrow went higher. "Well… it's good for when I kiss people. A _lot_ of people are turned on to the whole scratchy feely thing when they kiss. _I_ sure as hell am. Aaand I'm pretty sure you are too."

Mac blushed but then shot back at him. "Are you so sure you aren't mistaking that feeling with _pain_? Because all I know is that I nearly get rug burns from that beard of yours!" He laughed, accentuating the fact he was only joking. He was cut off suddenly by an attack from Danny, his lips assailed passionately by Danny's. Mac tried not to laugh as he realized Danny's beard was indeed creating a tingly feeling on his cheek and throughout his body, but his thoughts were interrupted as he felt lips part from his and begin to kiss a trail down to his neck. It was a strange sensation to have warm and slightly wet lips upon him at the same time as abrasive skin. Frankly, it was a bit much for Mac, considering the neck to be one of his secret erogenous zones, giving into a loud and feverish moan.

Danny pulled away suddenly, smiling deviously. "Oh, it looks like Mac is ticklish, isn't he?"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Mac nonchalantly leaned back into his pillows, trying not to display the fact he was miffed about the loss of contact.

"Of course." The grin remained despite the withering yet amused glare from Mac.

"I'm still not keeping the beard, Messer. You may be alright with yours, but a certain level of professionalism keeps me from having one, okay?" Danny's lip jutted out ever so slightly. "Oh, cut that out. You are borderline annoying and childish, you know that?"

Before Danny could protest, the hospital room phone rang. Danny crossed the room and picked it up quickly. "Yeah, this is Messer… Ok, patch her through." He looked over at the bewildered man on the bed and whispered, "It's Stell."

Mac sat up as quickly as his body would allow, just as Danny pushed the speaker phone button. They waited silently until they heard a voice on the other end. "Boys?" There was no mistaking that it was Stella, but her voice was almost jubilant.

_"We got him."_

Danny's eyes widened. "Which one? The murderer or the one who got Mac?" The last part of the question was justifiably bitterer, something all others in the conversation reasoned with, as each were carrying their own emotional baggage with the case that was similar to Danny's.

Stella sighed, "They're one and the same, Danny." There was a sharp intake of breath in the room, followed by a silence of inquiry. "Pretty much everything we got from the original crime scene was pulling up nothing. The red fiber, the fingerprint on the wallet. Even the DNA under the vic's fingernails pulled up nothing."

"So that just means the guy wasn't in AFIS," Mac stated anxiously.

"Yeah, I _know_, Mac." Her voice sounded almost exasperated, until she sighed, and her tone took on a more apologetic nature. "Sorry, Mac. I didn't mean to snap… it's just this case…"

"It's okay, Stell. You've been doing a great job, and I… _we_ owe you a lot…" Mac looked over at Danny and smiled sadly. He paused, thinking. "Wait, you said 'pretty much everything'. Does that mean _something_ came up?"

Stella, now perked up by Mac's encouragement, chirped, "Yep! Hawkes took out the bullets from the DB, so yesterday afternoon I ran a ballistics check on them through IBIS. The gun was just recently registered to a Matthew Porter. He's your man, Mac. The sketch you gave us matched him _perfectly_."

Danny nearly leaped in excitement. "So you brought him in, right?"

He heard Stella inhale deeply. "Well… here's where things went sticky…"

Danny frowned at the phone ominously. "But I thought you said you got him?" He looked over at Mac, who was also staring at the phone in disbelief.

They listened as Stella sighed. "Wrong choice of words… Ugh, I'm an idiot; I'm so sorry… What I meant by that is we got him with the evidence." Danny groaned angrily, something that he realized a bit too late would stir up Stella's temper, as well. And stir it did. "_Look_, Danny. I already said I was sorry! It's just I was so thrilled to have a break in the case that I thought you guys might be appreciative of it, too. But I guess not."

Mac spoke up, his voice laced with that fiery, no nonsense flavor. "Can you two _hear_ yourselves? _No one_ needs to point fingers or get angry here! We're all on the same team and working towards the same goal." Danny huffed in agitation, but Mac continued. "I'm not mad at either of you, but I can't seem to get why you two constantly seem to think that. Stella, we _are_ appreciative, but perhaps, we're all just a bit too caught up in this and want to see a means to an end. Alright?" He had dropped the bitter quality, replacing it with a soft and tired plea.

Danny and Stella clued in on the change, as both tried to apologize at the same time. Danny sighed, "You might as well go first, Stella, and tell us what went down."

The voice on the other end sounded weary now. "Well, we got an address, so today we looked into it, but the apartment was long since abandoned. So we went to his parents', his friends', his work. Nothing. And I tore that crime scene apart for more evidence that would lead me to him. Mac… I can't figure this one out…" Her voice cracked slightly, but she inhaled deeply. "We're all swamped here: we just got a multiple homicide. I've pulled in a couple people from swing shift, but I dunno if that'll work for long because swing needs their people."

Mac thought for a moment. "Hey Stella? What if I let Danny come back to work?" Danny's eyes widened in protest. "Just for tomorrow though. I'm okay by myself here for one day, anyways. And Danny gets to stretch his legs and help out with that multiple homicide." Mac turned to Danny and took his hand in his, peering into his eyes. "I know I promised you a few days off, but _please_… Stella needs you on this. _Plus_," he whispered throatily, "That will give you an extra day when I get outta this place."

Mac raised one eyebrow hopefully, and Danny laughed. "You know I can't say no to that face." Danny directed his next comments to Stella. "I'll be in tomorrow a little late, okay? I need to pick up some stuff for Mac, so he won't get bored without me."

Stella chuckled, "Ah, so you two have been having fun together, huh? Just remember that Mac doesn't need to be doing anything strenuous, okay?"

Danny groaned and yelled in mock frustration to the ceiling. "God… why the _fuck_ does everyone keep telling me that? Okay, I get it! No screwing around!" All three were giggling at that point.

Stella's chuckles quickly eroded away into seriousness. "Hey boys, I'm gonna have to say goodnight because I got a call on the other line from Flack. I have a feeling that it isn't the best news."

"Don't stay up too late working, okay?" Mac's voice was terse and concerned.

Stella just laughed it off. "Oh, the king of insomnia is telling me not to stay up late?" Once again, her mood drifted back to the gravity of their situation. "But I'll try. Night, boys."

The phone clicked, so Danny got up from the seat he had taken on the edge of the bed to hang up the phone. As he placed it on the cradle, he felt Mac's hand on his, pulling him to turn around and face him, to see the worry in his eyes. "Danny, I'm only letting you go back there if you promise me you won't get involved with this case." He squeezed Danny's fingers lightly.

Danny looked back into his gaze, both studying each other. Danny seemed to find that Mac trusted him once again, and that was a gift he wasn't about to lose again. "Yeah, Mac. I promise."

Mac let his held breath go and sighed. "Good because if I found out you did, your ass would be mine."

"Ooooh, is that a threat?" Danny pecked Mac lightly on the cheek and nuzzled him gently. Danny had recently found he actually _liked_ cuddling, just as long as it was with Mac.

Mac grinned shyly and turned his head to kiss Danny back. "Only if you want it to be." He pulled away to lay back on the pillows, yawning and looking at Danny with a sleepy yet still amused look in his eyes. "Hey, just what could be more interesting than you that you have to go to my place to get? Aside from peeling wallpaper or textbooks or…" Danny playfully punched his good arm. "I'm just kidding, but seriously, if you're picking something up for me, could you grab The DaVinci Code? I've been meaning to read it before the movie comes out."

Danny stared incredulously at him. "You? At the movies? Mac Taylor doing an average every day activity? Get outta here!"

They both smiled mirthlessly at the latent meaning behind it, but Mac chose to respond to the lighter side of the comment. "Yes, for your information, I do happen to enjoy seeing movies that interest me. And it just so happens that The DaVinci Code looks very interesting. Not that you'd really know what it's about, Mister I Watch Shitty Films Like Scary Movie."

Danny indignantly exclaimed, "Scary Movie was _not_ shitty! It was damn funny, but that type of humor would go over _your_ head. And for _your_ information, I _do_ know what DaVinci Code is about!" It was Mac's turn to stare in disbelief. "Yeah, I read it a while back when I was in the police academy. It was quite a good read, to be honest, but I kept getting frustrated at the cliff hangers after nearly every chapter."

Mac nodded encouragingly, as the two began to discuss openly with each other on a broad range of subjects well into the night. They eventually talked themselves to sleep; Danny was once again nestled in the bed with Mac, both too weary from the day to get up and rearrange their position, choosing to remain folded into the others' body.

Mac had fallen asleep after Danny, watching Danny as he lapsed into unconsciousness, noticing how Danny held himself carefully away from Mac's wound despite being wound tightly around Mac everywhere else. Mac had smiled warmly before planting a kiss on Danny's forehead, closing his eyes at last as peaceful sleep quickly enveloped him.

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A/N TOLD you it was long! Okay, so blurbs about the next chapter: Danny visits Mac's apartment and heads into work. Bwahaha no more sneek peeks after that! (is loving this) But... I feel kind bad because I may not have the next chapter up for a while again because I got a couple projects in school to do. Lemme just say junior year _sucks_.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Okay this chapter was just inevitable. The idea was too cute to pass up. Plus it had a bit of angst, and oh, do I love my Danny angst. Almost as much as Mac angst, but that's another story hehehe. So anyhoo, I'm sorry it took a while, but thank god for four day weekends because they give you _plenty_ of time to type up another chapter! Even if part of it is goofy. So sit back and enjoy th show! Rating is still T, and characters still belong to CSI NY. (and damn those owners; if they do anything to Danny that ruins my MacDanny relationship, I will _kill_ someone...)

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Danny groaned as consciousness came back to him and he realized where he was. In bed. Mac's bed. Probably hurting him again. "Crap…" Danny cursed softly as he tried to gently ease himself off the bed. Looking over at the clock, he saw it was around 7. "Damn it, I only got about four hours then…"

As he finished sliding off the bed, Mac's eyes snapped open. "Danny? Where ya going?"

Danny mentally kicked himself as he turned back to his boss. He smiled softly at Mac and gently brushed his fingers through Mac's hair. "I'm going to your place to get you something and then off to work, remember? You just go back to sleep until I get back, alright?"

Mac sleepily nodded but still asked in an alert tone, "You _do_ know how to get there, don't you?"

Danny couldn't help but laugh at how precise Mac was about everything. It was endearing. "_Yes_, Mac. I got the directions off you last night. Now get some sleep before I make you."

Mac grumbled as he sank down to his pillows. He waited to close his eyes until he saw Danny depart, falling into slumber once again.

Danny sighed as he shut the door behind him, wishing he didn't have to leave Mac by himself. He rushed up to the lobby desk and found their nurse. Nursezilla. "Umm, ma'am?"

Her eyelashes batted slowly, as if the early morning was still a new concept to her. He leaned over the desk and whispered to her, "Umm, do you think you could keep an eye on Mac for a while? I gotta go by his house to get him a couple things, so I'll be back for a little bit, but then I also gotta go to work. I mean, you don't have to _stay_ with him the whole time, but maybe just check in? Do you have the Department's number? Someplace you can contact me if…" He didn't finish the sentence, knowing the end of it was something he really didn't want to fathom.

She smiled coyly at him, but he knew she meant it anyways. "You really care for the Detective, don't ya?" Danny hesitated, but then nodded, remembering that she had already seen them with their tongues down the others' throat. "Yeah, it's kinda obvious." Danny huffed indignantly, as if to challenge her. She smirked and expanded, "It's not a bad thing, ya know. It's very… cute to see that love can make its way to all sorts of people. But back on topic, Detective Taylor is no longer mine to watch because of his move, _but_ I can see if I can take a couple minutes ever now and then to check up. And the hospital does have contact numbers we can reach you at. Okay?"

Danny grinned widely and chuckled. "Ya know, I never took you for a romantic! Just never… ever call me cute again. 'Cute' and me don't mix." He shuddered exaggeratedly and pulled a sick face.

"Oh shut up and get going before I change my mind." He ran off for the doors as she called after him, "And I'm not a romantic!" She giggled to herself as she watched him go.

Danny ran out to the sidewalk and flagged down a cab, the yellow car streaking over to the curb and nearly hitting a few people in the process. Danny gave the directions to the driver and hopped in.

The ride was surprisingly silent, the driver allowing Danny to collect his thoughts without bombarding him with a life story or an opinion on the current Bush administration or questions as to what Danny was doing at the hospital. Danny found the silence almost spooky, after having been talking to Mac for the past three days. He welcomed it though, perusing his memories and thoughts for any coherence in the confusion that had started four days ago.

His mind raced through the events of the shooting, not wanting to force pain upon Danny with a more detailed look. But Danny forced it upon himself, recalling every little thing. The almost deafening blast of the gunshot at his ear. The way his eyes were clenched until he realized it wasn't him who had been shot. Opening them to see Mac with a horrified look of confusion on his face, clutching at his chest blindly. Realizing that blood was seeping from beneath his hand, from a bullet that Danny thought was meant for him. That should have been meant for him. Watching with a gathering nausea as Mac fell to the flooras blood pooled around him.

Danny shuddered and pulled away from the rest of the memory; the image of Mac like that was too much to continue. He put his forehead to the window; the coolness soothed the forming headache. Danny sighed softly and tried to think past that. He could remember each scene in the hospital with Mac with a similar profound clarity. _Maybe there isn't so much confusion after all. But then, I have to make sense of all this._ Danny lingered around the memory of their first kiss.

Mac tasted faintly of bittersweet emotion, which Danny assumed was due to the fact Mac was still freaking out over the dream. Danny allowed himself a mirthless smile as he realized he and Mac were really doing this. They were really going to be together, or at least try to. Danny suddenly recalled a hazy memory of The Great Gatsby of when he read it in school. The one theme of illusion versus reality kept popping up in his brain.

He frowned as he made the connections slowly, for it had been ages since he has entered the world of Nick Carraway and corrupted dreams. Gatsby had built his love, Daisy, up to be this goddess in his mind, and every year that passed by as he searched for her added on more fantastic proportions to his dream of winning her love back. But when he really met her again, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be because it simply wasn't the way things were. You can't bring the past back, was something Nick tried in vain to tell Gatsby, but Gatsby stubbornly shook his head and refused to compromise.

Danny shook his head and tried to clear it as he remembered the way Gatsby turned up. _I'm not a Gatsby, damnit. Besides, Mac and I never had a past to be fond of, so what I am I freaking myself out for? Ugh, because the point is, are you satisfied with the actual reality of having Mac for your own? Is it everything you wanted?_ Danny nearly gasped at the question he proposed to himself. _Of course it is! I love him, and that's that! _

Danny was relieved to hear the cab pulling over to the side. He whispered his gratitude and handed the cabbie the appropriate change from the wallet Flack had given back to him a couple days ago. Light somehow made its way through the skyscrapers to land directly upon Danny's eyes, temporarily blinding him,

He looked towards the apartment complex and inhaled slowly. He approached and conquered the steps swiftly, marching towards the elevator with confidence. He entered the doors, trying to ignore the fact they always creeped him out after the whole being stuck in a panic room thing. Danny forced himself to breathe in and out as he waited for the third floor.

After an eternity of shaky breaths and soft curses, the bell dinged and the doors parted. "Thank _God_." Danny looked down both sets of hallways, reading off the numbers. 21- 25 were to his right, which was the path he took. He quickly located Number 22, standing on tiptoes to locate the piece of tape above the doorframe that held the hidden key Mac told him about.

"_It's there in case something happens to me… And wouldn't you know, something did." A smile snuck across Mac's lips as he continued. "When you find it, why don't you keep it? I have a feeling you'll be coming over a lot in the future."_

Danny eased the key into the lock and wondered if the invitation Mac gave him would ever actually play out in real life. He sure as hell hoped it would, as he entered a new realm of Mac. He almost stopped short in the hallway, but then he realized it probably was safer to shut and lock the door, and _then _gawk.

Once fully inside, he looked around at everything. Danny was,needless to say, shocked. The apartment was pretty small, looking as if there was just a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and an entryway that doubled as a living room. Danny couldn't help but notice how clean it was, despite the fact its owner had been gone for a few days. Walking further into the apartment, he ran his fingers over the couch, taking in how soft it was beneath his touch. He gazed down at the coffee table and gasped.

On it was a picture of the group together about a year ago at Sullivan's. Danny had drunkenly shoved Mac's camera on an unsuspecting fellow customer and begged her to take a picture. She unwillingly complied and watched in fascination of how the group arranged itself. Flack and Aiden posed suggestively with the other for fun, as Stella pretended to strangle Hawkes. Mac had been off to himself,so Danny wandered to him and dragged him over, sober enough to realize there was no way he would let the man go without being in his own pictures. Danny saw that he had his armed draped around Mac in what would appear to others as a brotherly way, but at the time, it was a feeble grasp at human contact, making drunkenness its excuse. But Danny realized that Mac didn't look as if he minded. In fact, he was actually laughing jovially at Danny. From what he could tell from the profile of Mac, his eyes were fixed on Danny in a way that reminded him of how he looked at Danny earlier that week.

_Damn… if only we had the guts to say something then… Then maybe Aiden coulda been in the loop and told me what to do._ He put down the picture carefully, letting go of past regrets as he realized this was now. He had to live for today with Mac.

He stood up from the couch and made his way towards the bedroom. He almost felt guilty for entering quite possible the most private room of Mac's, but he _had_ been invited. Danny opened the creaking door and peered inside surreptitiously. "Get a grip, Messer. Just frikkin go in already!"

Danny opened the door fully and flicked on the light. "Holy shit!" The room was more office than bedroom: a desk in one corner with a filing cabinet on one side of it. In the far corner was a small bed adorned with a nightstand at its side. There was one other door in the room that was nearly blocked by a towering bookcase. Danny quickly perused through it and found The DaVinci Code. Looking beyond the bookshelf, Danny eyed the bathroom door warily. He felt as if hewouldbepushing it by going into the bathroom, but he did so anyways. _I need a shower anyways. Don't wanna give the guys at works a smell of something they don't need._

The bathroom was simple: toothbrush and razor on the counter, shampoo and conditioner and soap in the shower, a towel hanging stiffly from the shower door. Danny noticed there was once again a second door, which he vaguely realized must be a closet. Danny walked into it, awed at the large amount of suits and button ups Mac had, as well as casual clothes that he rarely, if ever, saw him in. He found a stack of fresh towels on a shelf and grabbed one. _No point in using Mac's shower _and_ his towel._

He turned the spray on and undressed while the water warmed up. He saw himself in the mirror and nearly burst out laughing. "You're hopeless, ya know?" _I cannot believe I'm in Mac's house and taking a goddamn shower… Without dirtying up first…_ Danny couldn't believe how quickly his mind could go into the gutter and punished himself by walking into the still-cold water.

He didn't spend too long washing, wanting to hurry up how _awkward _this felt. Ironically, his mind felt clearer for those few moments than it had been for the past couple days. The handle squeaked as he turned it to the off position. Reaching for the towel, Danny cursed as he realized he created for himself a huge problem.

"Damn it! God, I'm stupid! Who takes a shower without making sure they have clean clothes? Stupid, Messer, _stupid. _This will just defeat the whole goddamn purpose if I put onmy old clothes."

Danny ran an eye over his balled up jeans on the floor. He couldn't have worn those anyways because of the whole dress code thing. His eyes wandered back to the closet, its light almost calling to him in a weird Twilight Zone way. He laughed half-heartedly when he put an idea together.

"Oh God… that's just wrong…" And yet he found himself inching towards the closet, water that wasn't caught by the towel dripping to the floor. He gently looked through the clothes, picking out a pair of slacks that didn't look as if they belonged to a suit set. The shirt was more difficult to find, considering Danny knew he couldn't pick one people at work would recognize. But fortunately and surprisingly, he found a black turtleneck towards the back of the closet that he had _never_ seen Mac wear. Sure it was spring, but hell, he could just blame it on the fact the hospital and the lab were pretty damn cold.

Danny walked out of the closet quickly and yanked the belt out of his jeans. He was about to pull the slacks on when he dropped them to the floor. "Oh my _fucking_ God…"

Underwear.

He had only his pair from yesterday. He tried to weigh out the pros and cons of what to do. _Okay, I can't go naked obviously beause these aren't my pants. But I can't wear a used set; isn't that just as dirty? And I am _not_ borrowing a set of Mac's because that would really be screwed up._ He looked down at the pants pooled around his ankles. _Oh screw it, just put on the old ones. The outsides of them are clean anyways._

The dilemma solved, Danny was able to dress successfully. He cinched the belt anotch tighter than usual, but other than that, the outfight was almost a perfect fit. He looked at himself admiringly in the mirror and then grabbed his clothes and the book from the floor.

Danny did a quick check of all lights and fixtures in the house, knowing he'd kill himself if he somehow managed to light Mac's place on fire or something. Everything fine and dandy, he ran out the door and locked it, but instead of replacing the key, he slid it into the pocket of his slacks. Mac's slacks.

He made that all too familiar and eerie trip in the elevator and got himself another cab. He was not endowed with another silent cab driver, this one choosing to yammer on about inflation and reckless drivers, as he screeched to a halt at a red light, narrowly missing a cyclist.

Danny ignored the cabbie through the trip, impatiently looking for the familiar façade of the hospital. At long last, he saw it approaching up the next block. _Praise the Lord…_ He took out a few bills from his wallet and passed them to the driver. "I can walk from here, thanks."

He chuckled as he heard the stammers of indignation, glad to be out in the open again. Danny high-tailed it to the entrance and tried to come up with an excuse to tell Mac as to why he was wearing his clothes, which were now suffocating him in the heat.

Danny glided through the reception area and signed in as a visitor, not that they hospital really cared anymore. They all seemed to now about Mac Taylor's permanent visitor. Mac's room came into view, and it took only a few more strides to reach the door. Grasping the handle nervously, Danny inhaled sharply and racked his brain for the explanation he had come up with and quickly forgotten at the sight of Mac's sleeping form through the blinds.

Mind set, he opened the door quietly and walked in the room with purported stealth.

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A/N I didn't realize how _long _this chapter was! Is it me, or are my chapters getting longer? Oh well... I hope ya'll enjoyed it anyhoo! The next chapter was supposed to be Danny at work, and it still may be, but I lengthened this scene more than I originally planned. The way I'm going, Mac is never gonna get outta that hospital... (beats head on keyboard) Damn my sudden shift to attention of details. I may have to write some random fic in the middle of this to get back into that style maybe... some random cute necking fic or something...


	10. Chapter 10

A/N Oooook It seems I haven't any capabilities of abridging. Becaaaause this was supposed to be a tiny scene that started out the chapter, followed be part of Danny's day at the lab. (sighs) Oh well, it's still fun to do! So rating is still T, and characters belong to CSI NY. Pfft... not fair... Enjoy!

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Mac wasn't actually sleeping as Danny had thought. He had just woken up after having done so this morning when Danny left. It had taken him a few moments to get oriented again and remember that Danny had left for his place. Mac's eyes widened as he ran through his house mentally, trying to remember if it was clean or not. It was, but Mac still ran a hand through his hair nervously in anticipation. He sighed, gazing up at the ceiling and tried to remember what time it had been when Danny first left so as to compare it to the time now when he heard the door creak.

Mac sat up hopefully, causing Danny to gasp in surprise. "_Shit,_ you scared me! I thought you were sleeping!" Mac smiled as he took in what he was actually looking at. Danny's hair was damp, much darker than it usually was, and Danny wasn't in a tank top and jeans anymore.

"You got cleaned up… My place?" Mac's mind reeled at the thought of Danny taking a shower in his house. The mental images created were enough to make Mac blush furiously and wish he wasn't sitting.

Danny grinned sheepishly. "Umm… yeah… I hope that's okay. And I kinda borrowed some clothes, too. You okay with that?" He adjusted the turtleneck so that it sat lower on his hips and looked at Mac eagerly.

Mac gave him the once-over and tried to ignore the heat building once again in his cheeks, flashing a coy smile at Danny. "I guess that's alright. Looks better on you anyways. Just one thing, though." Danny cringed. "Next time you shower at my place, I better be in there with you."

Both flushed crimson and laughed. "Of course." Danny walked over to the bedside and kissed Mac on the cheek softly. "I brought you that book," he added, placing The DaVinci Code onto Mac's lap with a flourish.

"Ah, thank you. I wondered for a moment there if you had forgotten in your bathing endeavors." Mac smirked at Danny and placed a hand on the sleeved arm. "You're gonna get hot in that, you know. I always did."

"So you _did_ wear it?" Danny groaned. "Shit, what I am gonna wear now? Because I can't wear something people will know is yours! What will they think?"

Mac tugged on Danny's arm roughly and pulled him into a passionate kiss, Danny's worried protests become muffled and less frequent. Mac yearned to keep that contact but pulled away. He whispered, "They'll think that Mac Taylor's one lucky detective." Danny blushed as Mac planted another kiss on his lips. "Besides, I never wore it to work."

Danny stood up and groaned. "Don't scare me like that!" He chuckled and ruffled Mac's hair, an action he know would annoy his boss. "Well, I guess I gotta bounce. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

Mac batted the hand twisted in his hair away. "Yeah, I'm a big kid. I catch my own perps and everything. Now get out of here."

Danny smiled and stole a kiss from Mac, lingering in their connection so as to keep the moment in memory to sustain him for the day. He pulled away regretfully and walked to the door. As he opened it, he took one last look at Mac. "Love you."

"Love you back." They grinned warmly at the other, reveling in the meaning of those words. Mac's fingers suddenly felt ragged book pages beneath them, telling him to hurry this up before both of them get stuck watching reruns of Who's the Boss? all over again. He sighed, "Go on. They need you over there."

"Right. See ya, Mac." Danny smiled down at Mac as he left, the door shutting softly behind him.

Mac sighed loudly and leaned against the pillows on his bed. He closed his eyes, praying that nothing would cause Danny to become entangled in the case all over again. His eyes fluttered back open to gaze forlornly down at the book resting in his hands. "I guess it's just you and me, Langdon." He cracked open to the first page and started reading to keep his mind off the anticipation building regarding Danny.

Danny was feeling a similar nervousness as he looked for the nurse he had seen only an hour before. Spotting her, he waved meekly. She ambled over and cut him off before he had the chance to even ask if she would still safeguard Mac. "Detective Messer, save yourself the breath. I'll be watching, and I'll call if anything comes up. Now if you please, there's a patient in need of a shot that I'd be more than happy to give to you if you keep bugging me." She flashed him a devious grin and ran off in the opposite direction.

"What a weird one…" He shook his head and briskly walked outside, blinking in the harsh sunlight. He opted for the subway route this time, not wanting to gamble on the odds of having a quiet cabbie versus a well… not so quiet one.

He jogged down the stairs, feeling a gnawing nausea growing as he recalled the Minhaus incident. His heart began to race erratically, but Danny forced all the adrenaline down. He was _not_ going through this again. He had a job to do and people to live for, and that was that.

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A/N Did I forget to mention this chapter was short? ) Lol I told you it was supposed to be a smaller scene, so I couldn't expand it too much, otherwise it would seem waaaay too drawn out. But I promise to start working on the next chapter veeery soon because I wanna be able to write a story for the upcoming episode...


	11. Chapter 11

A/N Hoooooooo boy. This took a _while_ to get out, didn't it? Omg I reeeally wanna finish this damn thing now with that last episode and all. Okay, so I;m gonna make like this is before that. But WOW when this damn thing is done, or maybe even in the middle of it, I am SOOO writing a fic for Run Silent, Run Deep. But for now, this fic is _before_ it. So sit back and enjoy the story that still belongs to CSI NY and still is rated T.

* * *

Stella set him up in the lab, giving him a job that Danny instantly recognized was easy, busy work. But he didn't care; he was too fatigued mentally and physically. Stella didn't seem to mind either, exiting the lab with an enigmatic smile and a "Nice shirt."

Danny threw himself into his work, relieved to have something to get his mind off of the shooting, even if it was running trace on a bloody fiber involved in a multiple homicide. He was so embedded into his duty that never even heard Lindsay until she was standing at his side, hand tentatively resting above Danny's shoulder.

"Holy shit, Lindsay…" He groaned and moved his glasses to rub at his eyes.

She looked over at the sample eagerly. "How's it going with trace?" She let her hand fall onto Danny's shoulder in what she hoped wouldn't seem over-friendly or over-piteous.

Danny didn't notice it as he went on to describe the details of his findings, which, in the hour he'd been at the lab, wasn't much. She nodded, never removing her hand. Lindsay smiled at him warmly. "Thanks, Danny."

He smirked mirthlessly. "For what? I didn't even find anything substantial." It was then he realized her hand was on his shoulder, but he waited to see how this played out, for he had a feeling where this was going.

"Don't kid yourself, Danny. Just… just don't worry yourself too much about this, okay?" She started to walk away quickly, mentally kicking herself for saying it.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" He grinned bemusedly to himself, knowing he was getting to the meat of all this hullabaloo.

Lindsay stammered, trying to avoid Danny's gaze. "I… uh… It's just Hawkes and I are already up to our eyeballs, and so is Stella having to supervise two scenes at once, so I mean… It's _definitely_ gonna be a little tough on you." There was silence, at which Danny began to bristle in irritation, but Lindsay quickly interjected before he had a chance to really get mad. "Oops, I didn't mean it like that! It's just… Well, you've been through a traumatic event and were physically injured!"

"_Mac_ is a lot worse off than me." The acidity in his voice was enough to melt her into submission.

"Right… Mac…" She thought for a moment and bit her lip, contemplating whether to say what was on her mind. Lindsay looked at Danny surreptitiously for a clue, glad to see he wasn't glaring at her anymore, but rather, staring sadly down at the microscope. She made up her mind right then and there. "You like him, don't you?"

He snapped his head in her direction with such speed as to make a chiropractor cringe. Lindsay flinched, bracing herself for an explosion. "_What?_ O-of course I like him! He's my boss! I mean… you have to like your colleagues, doncha?" He looked away sheepishly, hoping she'd buy it.

She didn't. "You know I didn't mean that. This isn't _high school_ with all that 'like' and 'like-like' crap. Do you _like_ him or not?" Lindsay furrowed her brow.

"This really isn't your business." Danny turned away furiously, expecting her to take the hint and shove off.

Once again, she didn't do as he wanted. And furthermore, Lindsay was angry now too. "If you have a thing for our boss, I want to know!" She quieted and bit her lip once again. "I just need to know…" She chuckled darkly. "And here I was saying this wasn't high school."

He continued to face away from her and grunted for her to continue. "I… I just need to know if I'm wasting my time."

"What? You have something for Mac, too?" The question revealed Danny's deepest secret, and in doing do, it pressured Lindsay to reveal hers, as well.

She fumbled and nearly choked on her words. "Not _Mac_… I kinda started to have a thing going for… for you… And I guess I _am _wasting my time…"

Lindsay turned for the door, head slightly hung in shame, when she felt Danny's hand on her arm. "Hey… I'm… I'm sorry for yelling. I just didn't really want anybody to know." His blue eyes bore into hers, the gravity of his words hanging heavily in them. He let go of her. "I'm also sorry if I ever led you on, but you do know I can't…"

She smiled, hiding her disappointment well in the eagerness many knew her for. "It's cool, Cowboy. So… does he like you back?" Danny turned crimson, looking away with a foolish grin. "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes'.

He swung his gaze back her way, but most of the ice had thawed, leaving behind a deeply rooted concern. "You ain't gonna tell no one, are ya?" She shook her head furiously, at which Danny chuckled. "Hey, how'd you even figure it all out?"

Lindsay inhaled and thought. "Well, it just sorta came to me after a while. I mean, the first day I got here you were on my back and trying to make me look foolish in front of Mac. I thought it was an initiation thing at first until I noticed you were always trying to best me in front of Mac. And _then _that's when I thought it was going along with that whole idea that people try to compete with people they like and all… But I would notice these looks you would shoot at Mac that I couldn't figure out until… Well, you know… So by then, I knew you had taken time off, and I heard Stella and Flack whispering, and I'll I caught was 'Mac and Danny'." Danny was smiling through it all, finding Lindsay's long-winded explanation amusing, if not slightly endearing. She continued, "So just right now when you brought up how Mac's worse off than you, I just… knew."

Danny started laughing, at which Lindsay frowned, even though she knew he didn't mean it in spite. He saw her face and still laughing, he urged, "I'm not makin' fun, I swear. You just remind me of me." The frown changed into a look of bewilderment. "You go from Point A to Point C without ever making a house call at Point B. It's… it's something I did a lot, until Mac told me I gotta find the evidence at Point B before I can move on to the next."

Lindsay grinned meekly at him, for she was still partly upset at having lost Danny to said boss. "Ahh, so now you're giving forth the wisdom of another, Grasshopper-san." She punched his arm playfully. "So I better start looking for more evidence, then. Keep up the good work." Danny nodded and turned to head back to the worktable. "And Danny?" He spun back around. "I really am happy for you."

And then she left without another word.

Danny sighed throatily and scratched his head. "Well, that was weird… But at least I know she isn't going after Mac like I thought she was." But superficial jealousy aside, he was glad to have someone else on his side. It appeared the tables had drastically turned from months before when he felt like no one had his back. He smiled ruefully to himself and once again flung himself into his work.

And so it went on throughout the day; nothing exciting or incriminating making itself known in either case. Danny was searching for Lindsay to tell her he was heading out for the night when he came across Stella in the neighboring lab.

Her curls were drooping, as was the rest of her demeanor. Stella had her head in hands and was cursing softly in Greek at the evidence before her. Her head snapped up when she heard Danny enter. She feigned a smile for him, but it quickly evaporated as she realized he knew as much as she did that she was at a dead end. "Hey, Danny…"

"Hey yourself… Stella, why don't you come visit Mac with me right now? The case will always be here tomorrow…" Danny knew the plea was useless on a woman as stubborn as he, but he tried anyways because he felt responsible and shamelessly guilty at the sight of his friend running herself senselessly into the ground.

Like clockwork, Stella shook her head. "No. I'm not giving up. Not on you, and not on Mac."

Danny walked brusquely to her side and gently gripped her shoulder. "Stella, you aren't giving up by calling it a night."

"But that _fucker_ will have gone clear across the country if he thought he killed a cop! And it's already been _days_, Danny with no sign of him anywhere! I can't let this case run cold… I jus can't!" Danny felt shudders beneath his fingers, as he realized Stella was crying. "I… I don't know what to do, Danny…"

Her fingers clenched together into a fist as she pulled herself out of her tears before Danny had a chance to actually see them. "Stella… it's okay to cry, you know." She chuckled darkly. "No, really. It's okay to let it out when you're stressed. God knows I've been doing my share of waterworks…" Her lips turned ever so slightly upwards at his heartfelt confession. "Ah, there's that beautiful lady we love so much." Danny stopped his comforting as he came across an idea. "Hey, Stell? If you honestly don't wanna leave right now, then why don't you do a cross-reference between the DNA from under mine and the vic's fingernails? It'll give the court more damnable evidence against this guy when you catch him. Which you will."

Her personal light bulb sparked to life. "Oh my God… I can honestly say I didn't think of that… Shit! I'm gonna get this to Jane right away, if she hasn't left. Otherwise, I'll just get someone else in DNA to do it."

"Or you'll go all Super Stella and try to operate the damn machines by yourself."

"Or that." She squealed delightedly, even though she knew the comparison wouldn't bring her any closer to their man. But just knowing she had a way to feel as if she wasn't letting Mac or Danny by condemning the guy further was enough for her.

Stella collected the samples from the table before her quickly with Danny's help. After it was all arranged neatly in one hand, she hugged Danny firmly with the other. "Thanks… Now you get outta here. Mac's been alone for too long, you know."

Stella grinned wickedly as she continued, "And just so you know, Danny. Next time you borrow a shirt from Mac, try not to pick one that I bought him for Christmas two years ago." She exited the lab quickly after making her parting shot, laughing almost maniacally.

Danny felt a blush rise to his cheeks, one which stayed there for his whole trip back to the hospital. It was there as he left the building; it was there on the subway; it was there as he creaked open the door to Mac's room.

"Hey, Mac…" He sheepishly made his way across the room and stole a kiss from Mac's cheek.

Mac looked up from his book coyly. "You missed." Danny's blush went deeper as he bent in for another kiss, on the lips this time. Mac devoured the younger man's lips with his own, ruthlessly toying with Danny as punishment for leaving him for so long. He pulled away and smirked downwards at his book. "It took you so long that I'm already on the last few pages."

Danny groaned and slapped his forehead. "I'm so sorry, Mac. I really didn't mean to…" He sunk into the chair and sulked.

"Oh, I'm just joshing you, so stop that pouting." Mac couldn't help but grin as Danny tucked the lip back in and replaced it with his tongue, waggling it at him childishly. "Oooh, if you keep doing that, I may have to come over there and bite it off."

Danny's face flushed again, and just as he was about to retaliate with his own snappish remark, he remembered what Stella had told him. "Hey! You didn't tell me Stella bought you this shirt! She seemed very amused that I was wearing it, much to my misfortune…"

Mac's eyes widened but then returned to normal proportions as he coolly stated, "So _that's_ where it came from…" He raised an eyebrow playfully and began to laugh. "Well, it's just Stella, and she already knows, so no big deal. But I woulda _killed_ to see your face when she told you!"

Danny's vain attempt at frustration ebbed away as he jumped up and assailed Mac with a passionate kiss, albeit carefully. He eased himself into the hospital bed next to his lover, still kissing Mac frantically. Their frenetic connection wore down in the next few moments, as Danny pulled gently away, glasses askew. "I can't stay mad at you for long, can I? But I still can't get you worked up… At least not yet," he added, tinting the statement with just a bit of lust.

Mac sighed and flopped down on his pillows. "We're at the end of day four… so I'd say two more days in this joint, and another few for rest… Damn…" He turned his head and deftly planted a kiss on Danny's forehead. "Might as well get some sleep then…"

Danny nodded and got up to turn out the lights. When he returned to Mac's side, he could discern in the darkness that Mac had fallen asleep. Danny sighed and brushed his hand through Mac's hair softly before plunking into the chair. Sleep came quickly to the wearied CSI, as did the promise of tomorrow.

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A/N So comments? Complaints? Poisonous reptiles? (someone's been watching Ice Age). Okay, so next chapter might have the argument between Mac and Danny, unless I hold it off again be expounding on a smaller scene... Okay I'm gonna do a poll. Who thinks I should end the story with the sex that Mac and Danny have been building up to and therefore raise the rating? All opposed?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Oh dear, some of you may be upset with me because Mac and Danny are gonna argue in this chappy... (hides) But please read anyhoo, because I promise I'm not gonna kill the relationship b/c of it! So I give you CH. 12, which is still rated T and has characters belonging to CBS.

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There was a persistent ringing throughout the hospital room that woke Mac up, as he blinked his eyes sleepily as consciousness came to him. He groaned loudly and looked over at Danny, who was contorted into the chair, sleeping heavily. 

The phone rang again. "Okay, okay! I'm up!" He swung his legs over the side of the bed and delicately reached for the phone, vaguely noticing that the motion caused much less pain than it would have days before. He took the phone from the cradle and held it to his ear. "Taylor." He listened for a moment before murmuring a rushed, "Okay, I'll wait."

Placing the phone back, he pushed the speaker phone button. Mac glanced over his shoulder at Danny, who still slept through it all. "Danny! Danny, get up!" Danny didn't budge. "Oh, you are horrid…"

Mac's legs were still hanging off the side of the bed, making it easier for him to slide to the floor and stand up. He'd done it a few times before yesterday, the first time with the nurse's help. He grabbed the equipment he was attached to and dragged it along to the other side of the bed, where Danny was.

Just then, Stella came on the line, her voice permeating through the room. "Mac? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, just trying to get Boy Wonder up so we can both talk to you." He reached Danny and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Hey, Danny, it's time to wake up."

Danny groaned loudly and tried to mumble Mac away. Stella laughed, "Danny, you better get up quick because I have _wonderful _news. Plus," she added playfully, "I've heard horror stories of what people do to their fellow Marines when they sleep in."

Mac kissed Danny again, close to his ear, so that he could whisper, "Yeah, I might just do something _naughty_ if you don't wake up very soon."

Danny jolted upwards, his libido fully waking him up and making him realize Mac was standing at his side. "Fuck, Mac! You shouldn't be outta bed. Ah, shit…" Danny got up quickly and ushered Mac back to the bed. "Damn it, I shoulda woken up sooner. I'm so sorry, Mac!"

Mac, now seated back in his prison of a bed, shut Danny up by pulling him roughly into the bed beside him and kissed him aggressively. He pulled away and smiled as a predator would at his prey, "And does it look like I mind?"

Danny's reply was cut off by a cough from Stella. "Umm… boys, I hate to interrupt, but I kinda have something to tell you that could mean Danny may not even have to come on for work today!" Her voice was aquiver with excitement as she plowed onwards before either man could ask what or how it meant another day off, all three wanting to get to the point of what she was saying.

"We got Porter!" Mac's eyes widened as Stella explained further, "And I'm not gonna make another phrasing error, so when I mean 'got him' I mean it in that sense- Flack's bringing him in right now."

Danny stammered, "But- how? Where was he?"

A sigh from the receiver. "At a coffee house. What I hate is that we didn't have enough evidence to pinpoint a location ourselves. There just wasn't any."

Mac chided, "There's always evidence, Stell." He hadn't meant it rudely, just pointing out a lesson he had learned so often in his careers of Marine, officer, detective, husband, and now, lover.

But Stella's pride took it somewhat offensively, as she defended, "Well, if there was, I just wasn't able to find it. And believe me, I looked!"

Danny noted how tense she was, despite having been overtly thrilled she was before. _So she still is blaming this on herself. Damn…_ "Stella, don't think we're not grateful because if there are any two people that are _extremely_ happy to see this guy put away, it's us." He glanced hurriedly at Mac, who was biting his lip, feeling guilty for what he said.

He spoke up tentatively. "Yeah, Stella… We're very thankful for everything you've done for us… So, I'm sorry if what I said was a bit harsh." Mac stared despairingly at the phone, hoping that his best friend had it in her to forgive him after all she'd been through.

Stella's heart was big enough to accept the challenge. "It's all good, Mac. Sorry if I overreacted."

Danny's foot had been bouncing anxiously through all of this. His mouth and vocal chords verbalized his suppressed nerves. "Umm… if we're all sorry and made up and everything, do you think we could talk about this Porter guy?"

"Oh yeah!" Stella's tone took on a chirpy and yet aggressive quality. "So we put up photos of the guy all over the news, gave 'em to all squads, and searched every one of his possible hideouts. The latter, as you know, turned up nothing, so we let it go and put a car at each one, just in case. No calls came in from those, but we _did_ get a call from an off-duty cop at a coffee shop, spotting him at the counter. The guy was paying in cash, something I figure he's been doing for this whole week to avoid getting caught by credit card records. So the cop recognized him, called it in, and kept an eye on him until a car got there. Like I said before, the evidence wasn't enough, but I guess sheer dumb luck was."

Mac inhaled sharply, about to disagree when she continued hurriedly, perhaps because she knew it was coming. "Anyhow, Flack's bringing him in for questioning. I have a feeling he'll talk, but if he doesn't, he's still going down. Because I got him on the gun, and thanks to Danny, I got a DNA comparison of his DNA being under both Danny's and the victim's fingernails. No jury can overlook that!" Stella finished, winded from her long speech. "So what do you think, guys?"

Danny looked to Mac, noticing that a frown was steadily forming across Mac's face. "Hey, Stella. Just what exactly did you mean by 'Thanks to Danny'?"

Danny was confused and felt a rising dread forming in the pit of his stomach, waiting in anticipation for Stella's answer. He hoped to God she knew what Mac was playing at, but Stella was still riding on the coattails of the capture of Porter. "I just meant that Danny gave me the idea to run the comparison between them." She fell silent, realizing the possible damage her statement might have done.

Danny stood up warily, wanting to be as far away from Mac as he thought, just in case he exploded. But Mac grabbed at his shirt and sat him back down. "You aren't leaving until you explain. Now."

There was a dangerous glint in Mac's eyes, which caused Danny to look away. He mumbled to the floor, "It… it was a lapse in judgment, Mac."

"You're goddamn right, it was!" Mac's voice was a low whisper, which Danny thought was much more frightening than if he had been yelling. He would have preferred that, as Mac furthered his tirade. "You _promised_ me you wouldn't get involved! _Promised!_ Damn it, Danny, what the hell were you _thinking?_ If IAB or whoever this guy gets as a defense attorney finds out you were involved in handling any of the critical evidence, the whole case could be thrown out the window! And then a whole investigation will come down on you! All because of your 'lapse in judgment'!"

His breath came in heavy as he glared at Danny. Danny was still looking down at the floor, wishing he could shut all of his senses off. He could hear the sadness laced into the accusations. He could see out of the corner of his eye the way Mac's shoulders had drooped, sagging with the rest of his body, despite the fact he was angry and heated. Danny could feel Mac's fingers still on him, clenching tightly and blindly at the turtleneck he was still wearing.

Danny knew he had let him down. Again.

Mac tugged demandingly at his shirt. "You _look_ at me when I'm talking to you, Messer."

That pissed Danny off. Sure, he was exceedingly guilty of making Mac feel betrayed, but no way in hell would he let Mac treat him like a kid. He knew he had done wrong, so there was no need to act like this was a scolding from a parent. Danny wrenched away from his grip and stood up.

"Stella?" His voice cracked, but he refused to break down right now. He wouldn't give Mac the satisfaction.

"Umm, yeah, Danny?" She felt as he she was intruding on something private, but chose to answer Danny anyway.

"I know you said I don't have to come in, but I'm coming in right now, okay? I'll see you in a few." He sucked in a breath and turned for the door.

Mac watched in shock as Danny ignored him and didn't even say goodbye as he left, slamming the door behind him. His fury nearly overcame him, but he managed to keep it down.

Stella spoke again, her tone accusatory. "You know, he really didn't do anything to compromise the case, Mac. I woulda remembered to run a cross-check sometime later, but Danny helped to speed up the process by offering it as a suggestion."

The anger Mac had tried so hard to control moments before started to seethe over. "That's not the point! He promised me he wouldn't go near that case! If anyone finds out…"

Stella was furious now, as well. "Finds out what, Mac? That Danny was consoling a friend in tears, doing what he could to make her feel better, even if it meant crossing a line his boss had set because he knew it would give something to take her mind off her failure?"

Mac's mouth went agape. He floundered, "Stella, I just… Danny can't…"

Stella cut him off curtly. "Whatever, Mac. Don't throw something good away because of your stupid pride, alright?"

The phone clicked off, so Mac was instantly aware that he was alone. He reached over and fumbled for the button to shut the incessant droning that was berating him mechanically. Mac lay back down and gazed up at the ceiling. He rationalized to himself that he wasn't wrong for getting mad because Danny did promise. But then, an overpowering feeling of nauseating guilt pounded at the gates of his heart. _Maybe Stella's right… Maybe I'm just an overzealous prick… Danny was just trying to help out. The suggestion probably just slipped out as he was trying to stop her from crying._

"Oh God…" Mac's side erupted into a sharp burst of pain, which he assumed to be his body's way of punishing him for acting so brash. The pain died back down, as Mac's breath came shallowly. He racked his brain for ideas to correct the situation. Stella _was _right. He couldn't let Danny go. If the shooting taught him anything, it was just that.

Mac's brain suddenly found insight, telling him to sit up and press the aid button by his bed. Mac waited impatiently and sat himself on the edge of the bed, waiting for a nurse to come talk to him, so that he could possibly get out of this prison and find Danny.

Find Danny and tell him he was sorry and a jerk and whatever it would take for Danny to forgive him. He owed him that much. Mac's heart wascaught in his throat as he feared he was losing grip of the one positive thing he had going for him in his life, the one positive thing he'd ever had go for him since Claire died.

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A/N (runs and hides again) Don't _spear_ me! (omg what is with these Ice Age quotes?) Whaddaya think? Okay next chapter will most likely have them make up, I dunno yet. Either way, Mac is somehow weaseling his way outta the hospital so he can go find Danny and make it all better lol. And omg I have yet to come up with a reason for the whole murder/shooting lol! 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Okay, so this chapter is just an intercalary type thingamajigg. You don't get any MacDanny make up yet, but you do get to see Mac outta the hospital! YAY! Okay, so the rating is T, and characters belong to CBS. Have fun!

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Mac waited in increasing frustration to be seen. "What the hell could take someone so long? I mean, if I was dying, I'd be _dead_ by now!" He groaned to himself and decided to go ahead and stand up, wanting to bring circulation back to his legs. 

As if on cue, a brunette poked her head in. "Is everything alright in here, Mr. Taylor?" Her voice sounded too pleasant, almost as if she worked at a hotel and not a hospital. She noticed the fact he was standing and chided, "Now, sir, you shouldn't be overworking yourself, Mr. Taylor. You need your rest."

"It's Detective Taylor. And no, I don't need rest. What I do need is for you to tell me if I'm clear to leave this hospital for good." His voice was blunt and annoyed.

The nurse wasn't fazed. "I'm sorry, Detective, but you need at least a few more days under hospital supervision." She sniffed indignantly, as if daring him to contradict her again.

She wasn't prepared for Mac's next move, however. He walked delicately to her and frowned sadly, looking as if he was about to cry. Perhaps he was, but she couldn't be sure. The voice that came out his mouth was deeply hurt by something she knew she couldn't possibly understand. "_Please_… I have to… find someone and tell them I'm sorry… I have to tell them before it's too late…"

Her eyes were wide as she stammered, "B-But couldn't you just call them or have them come visit you, so that way you wouldn't have to leave the hospital?" She fervently hoped it was possible, otherwise she knew there would be trouble trying to convince this man he might not be fit to leave.

"_No._ The… the person I need to talk to isn't exactly… speaking to me… At least I think so. But I _have _to find him and tell him I'm sorry. Please can't you at least get the doctor in here to see what he says?" His voice had fallen to hushed, almost embarrassed tones. Mac didn't care anymore about what people thought of him and Danny, at least not if there was a chance there wouldn't be any more 'him and Danny.'

The nurse scrunched up her face and thought momentarily. "Alright… I'll get your doctor in here, but at least get back into your bed until he gets here." Mac nodded readily. She turned to go but then looked back at the man already climbing back into the hospital bed. "And Detective?" He looked up. "Don't expect _too _much, okay?"

Before he could protest, she had left him to his anticipation. _I can't stay here any more, not if Danny isn't gonna be here with me. DAMN it! Why does this always happen? Why can't we ever hold our tempers around each other?_ Mac frowned as he tried to analyze their past relations. The only thing he could assess was that it might be due to the fact they were both so stubborn and strove for justice so fiercely it hurt those standing in the way at times. Or maybe it was because they've always loved each other and felt exaggerated disappointment because of it.

_Wait… does that mean I love Danny?_

Mac gasped softly as he fully took in the fact that he _was_ in love. Love meaning that he couldn't live without the person in question. Love meaning that this past hour was killing him slowly because he had the possibility of losing that love. Love meaning that if he didn't get Danny back soon, he was going to feel as if he'd lost Claire all over again.

Mac was on the verge of reaching for the button again when his doctor entered. He peered at him over thin, reedy glasses. "So, Detective, I hear you wanna leave us? Is it the food that's driving you away?" Mac icily stared at the doctor. "Just a bit of hospital humor. So… what makes you believe you are ready for dehospitalization?"

Mac wasn't thrown off by the question. He had thought his reasons over with precision. "Well, sir, I have increased motor functions in my upper body. Increased meaning I can move without causing much pain. The residual pain has appeared to have left. I am fully capable of getting up and walking around. However, I am aware that these limited abilities do not entail me to go back to work any time soon or drive a car. It _does_ mean that I can go home under the care of another, who happens to be the reason I want to leave so soon."

The doctor had been listening carefully to all of this, nodding assertively at each new statement. He let silence drift in before announcing coolly, "Well, you seem to be adamant about this, so it's only fair I give you an assessment of my own. So let me look at that wound, okay?"

Mac agreed heartily and sighed to himself, glad that he was making progress. He let the doctor do whatever examination he wanted, attempting to look at the clipboard that was being scribbled on occasionally.

The doctor backed away after his proceedings and stared at Mac, as if he were a student he was reprimanding. "Now, Detective, you are to be let out of my supervision on these provisions…" Mac's heart leaped, but he stayed focused, "You must have your friend pick up these medications." He handed a slip of paper to Mac. "You must also remain on bed rest for at least a week and go to your physician after that time has passed. And not under any circumstances are you to strain yourself. Are we clear?"

The smile Mac gave the man told him everything, but the CSI chose to verbalize it. "Crystal."

"Okay, then." The doctor returned the smile and then frowned. "Umm…your clothing was ruined during your accident, so…"

Mac contorted his face in concentration. He gazed despondently about the room, until his eyes landed upon the clothing Danny had worn two days before and had brought in after changing into Mac's clothing. _An eye for an eye._

Mac breathed deeply and looked charmingly back up to the doctor. "I've got it covered, thank you."

His doctor nodded and walked to the door. "I'll have a nurse help you change and see you out while I do the paperwork." And he left.

Mac got up slowly, determined not to be seen naked once again in front of a nurse, but his body demanded he stayed put, giving him a small jolt of pain when he reached down to grab Danny's jeans. So he waited on the bed until he heard the door open. But rather than the nurse from earlier that day, it was _the _nurse, Nursezilla.

"We meet again, Detective." Despite the cliché, she sounded genuinely pleasant. "I guess I'll have to torture you one more time before you leave."

"I guess so." Mac weakly smiled at her, already feeling a warm blush rising to his cheeks. He kept his pinkish tinge until he had Danny's clothes on, which felt noticeably tight. _I need to lose some weight… Damn…_

"All done. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" He raised an eyebrow threateningly in her direction. "Hey, you look good in your boyfriend's clothing." She had meant it teasingly, hoping it would elicit a startled cry of protestation, but she found instead it produced a deep welling of sadness in his eyes. "Oh… I'm sorry… Did you two have a fight?" Mac nodded slowly. "Well, don't worry about it. A guy like him is always gonna be in love with guys like you, despite the rough patches. And vice versa."

"Thanks… I think…"

"No problem. Now let's get you outta here so you can go kiss and make up. Oh, wait… you can't do anything that might make you sore, can you?" She laughed heartily and led Mac outside, where a wheelchair was waiting. He groaned audibly. "Hospital policy, sir. At least it's not that far away."

So he was carted to the door, feeling deeply embarrassed now, so he was more than relieved when he saw those doors slide open, revealing the beautiful sunlight outside. He rose from the seat, only to be pushed unceremoniously back down. "Uh-uh. Not until I call you a cab."

So she flagged one down, making him sit in that ungodly contraption for another three excruciating minutes. When one squealed to the pavement, she gave Mac a helping hand up. "Now you take care of yourself, you hear?"

"Yeah, I hear." He smiled broadly at her. "Thanks… for all of your help." He sat down in the back of the cab, exhilarated to he free at long last.

"Yeah… Now… Now go on and find Mr. Messer." She shut the door and waved him goodbye.

Mac returned the wave and leaned over the seat to talk to the driver. "I need to get to the New York Crime Lab; it's on…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know where it is." Mac's curiosity was dredged up, a result of a talent the cab driver prided himself for, of being able to do to clients so as to elicit conversation. "Yeah, I drove someone there this morning. Some kid coming from this hospital, in fact. He was all depressed and stuff. Said he just had a fight and didn't wanna talk about it. That kinda miffed me, but hey, it ain't my place to nose into other people's business, you know what I mean?"

But Mac didn't answer. He remained silent for the rest of the trip after having been reminded what his freedom meant. What it required him to do. What he _wanted_ to do. And what he wanted, more than anything, was to be back in the good graces and open arms of the second person he'd ever truly loved, a certain cocky, son-of-a-bitch, loveable Danny Messer.

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A/N No, I do NOT think Mac is fat or pudgy or anything! Gary Sinise is a gorgeous human being who is amazingly fit for a 51 year old. It's just... he is a little wider (?) than Danny, who is pretty damn thin. Omg so please forgive me, Gary. I wasn't insinuating anything! you should know I think you're hot, so _there._ Ooook lol, now that I just scared myself, on to upcoming chappy. MacDanny makeup convo and possibly kissing. Hehe...hehe...hehehehehehe. 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N Okay, so what the hell was up with the servers? Lol, at least it gave me time to write this chapter. I seriously just finished and went ahead and tried loggin in, even though I thought it wouldn't work again. And wouldn't you know, it did. Lol, so on tot he chapter. This is the last one... I'm sad to end it, but this is it. Weeeeell, actually that isn't true, but you'll have to read the chapter and get to the next A/N to find out why. Hehehehehe so rating is still T and characters belong to CSI NY.

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Danny had thrown himself into his work, ignoring the looks he was getting from his colleagues. He frowned as the shirt that he was running trace on became a blur. He knew full well that it wasn't a problem with his glasses, reaching upwards to swipe away the forming tears. _No, I'm not gonna do this here. I gotta job to do that in no way involves Mac. Fucker._

Danny instantly berated himself for calling Mac the name, even if was in his head, for reasons he couldn't understand. _Why am I being so forgiving when he acted like a jerk?_ He shook his head and tried to clear his brain before he could answer the question, but he couldn't stop himself. _Maybe because I'm the reason he acted that way._

Danny cursed aloud, not caring that there were others in the lab with him. _Wait a minute…_ Danny looked up and about the room. Those who were their previously were gone now. _What the hell?_ He knew that what they were doing required them to be in trace for a while, so it made no sense that they left so soon.

Someone coughed behind him. Danny turned quickly and felt his body go on full alert, heart thumping blindly and tensed muscles, as he realized who was standing at the door to the lab.

The person in the doorway was Mac.

Danny's mouth went slack in his disbelief as Mac tried to form sentences. He looked downwards and shuffled his feet, managing to ask, "Can I talk to you, Danny?"

The younger CSI seemed to wake from his momentary confusion. He crossed his arms and glared at Mac. "I think we _talked _plenty earlier. I got nothing else to say to you." He turned back to his work, hoping Mac would get pissed and start yelling at him because somehow, Danny knew it would make the situation much easier to bear, considering it was bad enough that Mac took a huge chance even coming to see him.

But Mac didn't get pissed and didn't yell. He remained in the doorway, letting his face crumple into defeat. "Right…" He continued to stare at the floor, watching as gravitational droplets formed upon it. His own tears. Mac tried to stop crying but found it was impossible. He was silent about it, though, only making a noise to meekly apologize. "D-Danny… I know you're… I know I was stupid earlier, but…"

Danny spun on him. "No shit! You were a goddamn _ass..."_ Danny fell silent as he noticed what Mac was doing. His anger was quickly dispelled by the sight of Mac's brokenness. "Oh God, Mac…"

He walked over to Mac and pulled him towards him, hugging him firmly. The tears flowed from Mac's eyes onto Danny's shoulders. Mac choked out, "Danny, I'm… I'm so sorry for hurting you."

Danny closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from crying. He tightened his embrace around Mac, but not enough to cause any physical damage to his wound. He heard his own voice nervously admit, "It's not your fault, Mac. You were right."

Mac pulled away from Danny and looked him in the eye, unafraid to show him his tears now. "No, I wasn't. I overreacted, and that isn't fair. You were just trying to help Stella out and didn't involve yourself on purpose."

Danny felt his chest tighten. "But I _did _get involved!" _Damn it, here I go forgiving him… Why can't I just let him admit he was wrong without taking the fall for him?_

There was a groan from the opposite doorway. Both men snapped their gazes towards the perpetrator.

It was Stella.

She rolled her eyes obviously and walked towards them coyly. "Will at least one of you act like a _man_ and let the other take blame? Just make up already, so we can all get one with our lives." Her face was bright with a smile that illuminated all of her features. Her laugh was even more luminous, making both men feel slightly uplifted.

Danny was the first to recover. "Yeah, I was just about to tell Mac to stop complaining about the way I bring home the bacon and go get me a beer, but you kinda ruined the fun."

All three was laughing now. Mac quickly wiped the residual tears away and looked at Stella quizzically, seeing that her smile was as radiant as ever. "You're too happy… What happened with Porter?"

Stella laughed again. "Almost a week away from the job, and you're still as observant as ever." She paused as she realized something important that had been bugging her ever since she saw the two men in the lab clutching at each other. "Wait, how the hell are you even _here_, Mac?"

Danny's eyes widened as he heard Stella voice the question he had formed in his unconscious. He turned to Mac and softly asked, "Yeah, how did you get here?" He started giggling suddenly as he saw what Mac was wearing. "And why do you have my clothes on?"

Mac sighed and looked as if he was about to cry again. "I… I had to come talk to you and make things right, okay? So I somehow convinced my doctor to check and see if I was well enough to be released, and he said I was. So I put on the only clothes that were available to me and took a cab." He smiled sadly at Danny. "And here I am."

Danny reached over and gripped Mac's hand within his own. "I'm glad you came, Mac…" They both remained silent momentarily before looking back at Stella, who was staring fixedly at the wall and trying not to intrude. Danny queried, "So what exactly happened with Porter, Stella?"

At the sound of her name, her gaze was redirected back to them. It was a moment before she answered him. "Well, we just interrogated him, and he broke and revealed _everything_." She didn't allow for interruptions, knowing Mac and Danny needed to hear this. "He had stolen about half a million dollars from a bank last week and placed all the cash in a briefcase. Yeah, cliché, I know, but I didn't come up with this. So he goes to La Guardia to get a nonstop flight to Miami. Had things not gone wrong, he'd have been Caine's problem."

Mac smiled at the thought of his friend down in Miami, but he continued to listen to Stella's explanation. "Well, things went south from there. He, doing something I would _never_ do if I had a half million dollars in my possession, puts the case down as he orders a Coke from one of the airport's fast food joints. So he pays, looks down, and…"

"It's gone," Danny guessed, trying to piece this all together within his head, visuals of the bear of a man he had seen walking back to his seat and finding it missing.

Stella nodded and asserted, "Yeah, it was gone. But there was a similar briefcase close to where it was supposed to be. So then he recalls a blonde in the opposite line, setting her briefcase down to take her order. So he realizes she probably has his briefcase, for reasons he assumes are unintentional or maybe even intentional. So he follows her out of the airport to her car because we now know she had just made it back into New York on her own flight. So he follows her to the overnight garage and lucks out because her car is only a few spaces down from his. She manages to get in her car and drive away, still unaware of her mistake. She gets to her apartment and probably puts the case somewhere to open and empty later. So he comes to the door and knocks, and when she opens it, he shoves his way in, the gun he keeps in his car in hand." Stella paused and made an angered face at the floor. "He was so damn smug about it. He was so smug when he talked about the way he killed her. He shot her three times and didn't give a damn." Stella looked up at her friends and sighed. "So then he said he found the briefcase on her bed and grabbed it. He was about to clean up the scene when he heard that rookie cop yell 'NYPD". So he hides in the closet… And, well, you know the rest."

Her eyes fell once again as Mac and Danny took in all that she had said. But Mac was still confused. "But if he got all of his money back, why stay in New York? Why stay when he knew was going to be chased down?"

Stella frowned and scoffed, "Because he's an idiot. He honestly thought that because he never did anything to get him in the system before the robbery that he wouldn't be tracked down. He also thought he didn't leave anything at the crime scene. But he did… Two witnesses." She smiled at them.

Danny shuddered slightly as he remembered just how Porter had left one of the witnesses. But his mind was directed back onto a less grim pathway. "So how'd you manage to get all this outta him, Stella? Someone with all that supposed knowledge couldn't have been easy to break."

There was silence in the room as Stella thought about what to say. She finally spoke up and looked at them directly. "I… I told him he only left one witness."

Mac didn't know whether to feel proud or nauseated as he thought of how close that possibility actually came to be. He felt Danny's fingers tighten around his own. He didn't look at Danny, fearing he'd start crying again at the ironic closure. He gave a Stella a congratulatory smile. "Good job, Stell. Thank you…"

"No problem…" The relieved looks upon their faces were enough thanks for her. But there was one thing left to be done. She inhaled loudly and put her hands on her hips. "Now that the case is solved, the caseload is considerably lighter for me. In short, I don't need you here, Danny." He stared at her blankly. "In other words, as temporary supervisor, I am giving you an order to get the man whose hand you're holding home and take care of him. God knows he can't take care of himself." Mac shot her an amused glare. "Yeah, I said it. So go _home_, both of you. Before I dock your pay."

Together, they all laughed again. Mac smirked at the approaching Greek. "You make a better supervisor than I do."

Stella chuckled. "No, I don't. I just make this job look better." She winked at him before she pulled him into a light hug. She let go after a moment's silence and turned to Danny. "You take care of him, alright?" Stella reached for Danny, who accepted the hug warmly.

"You know, I will." They let go of each other and looked towards Mac. Danny felt his heart return to a normal beat again, as he realized they were free again. "So I guess we'll be going."

Mac blushed as he realized all eyes were on him, so he looked at the floor. "Yeah, we better."

Stella laughed. "Just go before I change my mind and put you to work cleaning the toilets in the locker room!"

They didn't need further invitation, rushing out of the lab after voicing one more goodbye with Stella. Mac and Danny didn't speak as they headed out to the garage. Danny pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, and it took Mac a second to realize they were his. Before he could ask where the hell he got them, Danny beat him to it, explaining, "I knew you kept an extra set in your desk, so I swiped them when I got here. I was still mad, so I figured if really wanted to retaliate, I coulda just crashed your car into a tree or something."

Mac mirthlessly smiled, still feeling guilty for being the cause of that anger. He stayed silent, though, climbing into the passenger's seat. He turned to Danny and lifted an eyebrow. "Where to?"

Danny put the key in the ignition and began to head out of the garage. As they approached the street, he grinned. "Where ever you feel at home, Mac."

Mac thought for a moment. The line sounded corny to him, but after their bitter fight, he could use all the cheesy lines it took to get back to the way they were only a day ago, joking and laughing through their relationship. "Home is with you."

"With me, huh? So I guess that means I gotta pick where we go." He winked at Mac. "Well, your place can't fit two grown men, plus that _bed_ sure as hell won't fit two grown men." His smile turned into a wicked smirk as he saw Mac blush furiously out of the corner of his eye. "So I guess that leaves my place."

Mac nodded. "Yeah…" They were quiet the rest of the trip, allowing each other the needed break to think and assemble their thoughts on the day's events. Mac stared out the window and found himself in awe at how things brought him to be in a car on the way to the house of his new lover. Of how one bullet could change things in its destructive power and manage to actually create something beautiful.

That's all it took. One solitary gunshot.

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A/N So did you like? Poor Mac... I seem to have a kink for him being all vulnerable. Ok, ok I'll go ahead and tell you about the end. I got an epilogue that you all have some hint as to what it'll be about. Let's just say it'll make the rating go up. Hehehe, but I actually got to write it, and this Run Silent, Run Deep has had me working for over a week. (it's really frikkin long, and I'm not even through the episode yet! ( ) So it may be a bit before I get an idea of how I want them to erm... go about it. Lol! 


	15. Epilogue

A/N Ooookay I FINALLY got it out. It woulda been out on Thursday, but I had a plane to catch, and I just got back at 1:30 AM. And I have to leave at 7 for a road trip with the 'rents looking at colleges. So that leaves giving it to ya'll now! The rating is FINALLY M, but the peeps still belong to CBS. Bastards... Enjoy!

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Danny suppressed a giggle as he watched Mac glare at the doctor who was assessing his wounds and taking his sweet time with it, going over every possible option of injury. Mac rolled his eyes as he let out the thirty-something breath for the doctor. He glanced briefly at Danny, just enough to notice that the younger man was smiling a bit too smugly. _Little shit… Well, he better know that this assessment can be the difference between getting our way or… well, not._

It had been a week since their reconciliation, and Mac had done as the doctor suggested: let Danny watch over him and fill his prescription, but most importantly, he hadn't done anything "strenuous." That had pissed him off enough to get a few heated kisses a little too heated, resulting in some below-waist touching, but Danny had stopped it before it could go too far.

Thinking of said events, Mac realized he was developing a little problem. _Oh shit! The guy's a friggin doctor, so he's gonna notice…_ But he tried to hide it as best as he could, resolving to fix the situation as soon as he got his assessment and was back at Danny's place.

The doctor seemed to be oblivious to the older man's bulge, smiling warmly at Mac as he straightened his posture and extended a hand to Mac. "Congratulations, Detective. You seem to be alright. I do, however, recommend physical therapy for the next few weeks."

Mac groaned. This was not the answer he needed. But before he could shoot off any inquiries, Danny beat him to it. "But can he go back to work?" _Little shit…_ Danny winked at him. _Or not._

The doctor inhaled sharply. "Well… he can." Mac smiled, but the doctor continued. "_But_, you probably shouldn't chase down anyone or get into altercations, okay?" The smile Mac held dissipated.

He racked his brain and tried to think of a politically correct phrasing for his next question that wouldn't broadcast his more-than-platonic relationship with Danny. "Umm… what about… Can I do cardiovascular exercise? I… um, like to keep in shape, and these two weeks away from the gym have really left me soft."

Danny sniggered, but it was unnoticed by the contemplative doctor. "Yeah, that should be okay in small doses. It can be part of your physical therapy, but if you start getting any pain, you come straight to me, alright?"

Mac nodded aggressively. It was time to get out of here and show the kid standing behind the doctor and making funny faces a lesson. "Of course, Doctor. Thank you."

They left the room and filled out the paperwork, both overtly impatient. Danny would bite his lip every time Mac bent over to fill in another line, and Mac's foot was bouncing at an absurdly quick pace. So both breathed a sigh of relief when they were back in the car, driving back to Astoria.

However, Mac was still impatient. He surreptitiously snaked his hand across Danny's leg and closed in on the zipper of his pants. But it wasn't so surreptitious to Danny. He hissed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making the knuckles go white. "Fuck, Mac. Don't do that right now."

Mac looked over, grinning cheekily. "Don't tell me you aren't enjoying it."

Danny blushed but kept his eyes on the road. His breathing was increased and his pupils appeared to be dilated. Mac grinned; he knew he was enjoying it, alright. But it was Danny's turn to grin. "I am, Mac. But I gotta drive. So here's the deal: you keep your hands to yourself the whole car ride, I'll let you be the one who decides how we spend our afternoon." Mac frowned, and it was deepened when Danny continued, "And 'hands to yourself' does not allow for self-stimulation. Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do."

The frown ebbed away into laughter. Mac obeyed Danny, still laughing quietly as he stared out the window. He could hold off his desires for just a few minutes longer, but only for so long. So the sight of Danny's apartment building was very welcome to Mac, who was starting to feel uncomfortable at how tight his pants were and how abrasive they were. But he was starting to grow increasingly uncomfortable at how silent both of them were. So it made it very difficult to determine who was preying upon whom. _Either way,_ Mac thought as he stepped out of the car, _it makes for a very interesting day._

As they walked into the building, he felt Danny's hand sweep down his back and rest within the back pockets of his jeans. It was a possessive gesture, and Mac shivered openly when fingers clenched around the fabric. Danny's other hand pushed the buttons of the elevator, where Mac remained still, keeping his hands at his sides, albeit a bit shakily. Mac was losing his control, but he did not allow Danny the satisfaction of winning. The younger man actually tightened his grip on Mac's ass and chuckled when Mac gasped in surprise.

But what Mac was surprised of most was the fact that he was _enjoying_ this. Enjoying the utter lack of control. He thought silently as they walked towards the apartment door. Danny's hand left his jeans to pull out his set of keys, and he broke the silence, saying excitedly. "Well, we made it home in one piece."

Mac did not answer, entering without a word, leaving Danny to shut the door in confusion. But just as he locked it, he felt hands at his shoulders, flipping him around to face the very flustered ex-Marine. Mac had to at least kiss him once before he told Danny his plans that he was sure where going to shock the younger man who was now moaning into his mouth.

Mac had Danny pinned against the door, but he allowed his hands to snake up Danny's shoulder to his neck, pulling him further into the kiss that was slowly, intoxicatingly depriving Mac of oxygen. He pulled away from Danny's reaching lips to lick across the abrasive skin. He whispered, "You were right… Stubble is great for kissing…" He felt the vibrations of Danny's laugh beneath his lips. But before he could finish his endeavors, he felt a hand at the back of his neck, dragging him upwards to meet Danny eye to eye.

Danny's lips were red from the kiss, and his eyes were hazy. But his voice was clear. "Mac, I promised you earlier that you'd get to pick how we did this. So what's your answer?" He watched in further confusion as Mac refused to answer, instead grasping for Danny's hand to pull him towards the bedroom.

They reached it quickly, after a few short bursts of inquiry from Danny. Mac sat on the bed roughly, and the motion caused Danny to fall next to him. But before he could get oriented, Mac straddled him and began to kiss him once again, a hungry passion in his eyes that both frightened and exhilarated Danny.

They tumbled across the bed, beginning to remove clothing. Once Mac's shirt was gone, as well as Danny's pants, Mac rolled them once again, so that Danny was on top of him, his weight heavy across his chest. This was how he wanted it. He detached his lips from Danny, much to the dismay of both of them. "Danny…" His voice sounded distracted and hoarse, but it was the urgency in his voice that caught him by surprise. _Oh my God. This is actually going to happen._ But despite whatever his thoughts were saying, Mac began to vocalize his plans he had so ruthlessly denied Danny moments before. "Danny, I… I need it to be like this."

"Like what, Mac?" Danny didn't seem to catch Mac's purposeful positioning of their bodies, staring at Mac with his eyes wide.

Mac swallowed carefully, knowing what he was about to ask for was going to seem so out of character to Danny. But he needed it. He needed it to prove to himself he was healed physically and mentally from the shooting to allow himself to be taken. He needed it to prove to himself he was over Claire. Well, not over. Just moved on. He needed it to prove to Danny that he loved him enough to trust himself entirely to Danny.

"Danny… I need you… I… inside of me…" His words were getting jumbled, as his embarrassment and need and arousal clouded his coherent thought.

But Danny's thoughts were astoundingly clear. "Mac, are you sure? I mean, I don't wanna hurt you… And not just your wound, you know…"

Mac shook his head fiercely. "First of all, my wound hasn't been hurting all today, and it isn't now. Second, if you do not do something about the fucking problem I have down below the border, I will fire you. Or something… Just… just let me be the subordinate for once, okay?" His voice quieted to a fearful whisper.

Danny's eyes widened even further, but he was starting to get the idea. The corners of his mouth turned upwards, and he pulled himself off of Mac. He tried not to giggle when Mac gave him a look somewhere between pissed off and confused. Danny lowered the register of his voice, shocking himself when he ordered, "Strip. Now."

Mac's face contorted into awe but then a soft, acquiescent smile. Danny smiled as well, removing the rest of his clothing and throwing it into the pile where Mac's now laid. But Danny's gaze never left Mac, as he stared hungrily at his boss. His voice cracked ever so slightly as he issued another command. "On all fours…"

Mac complied, shivering in anticipation. His erection was free now, so Danny, within reason, could take a little bit more time with whatever he was planning. He heard Danny rustle through a few drawers and curse in Italian every once in a while. He turned his head to look back at Danny, but he was met with an aggressive bark. "Did I say you could move?"

The lump in Mac's throat increased in magnitude, so when Mac spoke, it made him sound froggy. "No, sir… You didn't…"

Danny slid a hand across Mac's back and up towards his neck. He twirled his fingers around his boss's hair, pulling it roughly to make Mac face him. Danny was now on the bed, leaning in towards Mac to kiss him roughly before Mac could make any yelp of pain. He knew his aggressiveness was going to leave Mac with a few bruises, but not in the places where Danny wanted to avoid at all costs. He may hurt Mac a bit, but he would not do anything to severely cause the man pain.

Danny coyly let go from his kiss and his handhold. He whispered into Mac's ear, "You only do what I say from now on, okay?" It was a plea, an order, and one last query for assurance that they were doing what Mac wanted.

Mac nodded and asserted in an almost whine, "Yes sir." Those were the last words he spoke before he felt Danny' fingers probe into him, lubricated fully. _So that's what he was getting. _The thought slipped away as Mac hissed at the tightness of the fingers. They were moving _inside_ of him, exhilarating him as well as causing him the slightest of pain.

Pain that was slowly evaporating with each thrust. Mac began to moan softly as the tension in his stomach deepened. "D-Danny… I need…" He bit his lip and tried not to turn and face Danny, remembering what happened the last time he had done so. Yet the need to look at Danny was overwhelming, but he stood fast.

Danny licked a trail up to Mac's neck and whispered at his ear, "Ready?" Mac could only nod; his breath was coming in ragged pants. Danny removed his fingers, so Mac moaned again at their loss, but he was cut off when he was quickly thrust into. He yelped quietly, so Danny stopped mid-thrust. "Oh fuck, Mac! Did I hurt you?"

Mac closed his eyes tightly against the pain and clenched at the sheets. He drew in a shuddering breath. "No… I'm fine. Just _please_… please keep going…"

Danny bit his lip in hesitation. It had been fun acting like the boss for once, but Danny sure as hell didn't want to use that power in a way that would hurt Mac. He was about to ask again when Mac started rocking his hips back into Danny's. _What the fuck?_ Suddenly, Danny got the picture: that Mac needed this desperately, quite possibly more than he did. So Danny quickly resolved to give Mac what he wanted.

He kissed the back of Mac's neck only to aggressively bite the skin, but not enough to break it. Mac gasped, just as Danny growled, "I'm in charge here, remember?" He smiled when he felt the nod, so he rewarded Mac with a gentle thrust. The older man groaned, causing Danny to realize that he wasn't the only one with a large problem.

Danny reached around and wrapped his hand around Mac's stiffened appendage. He felt Mac's whole body shudder at the touch. Danny himself felt a heat rise in his stomach. _Fuck, we're both close…_

They began to build a rhythm, molding less than perfectly into each other. Mac knew his hips were going to be bruised in the morning, but for the moment, he didn't care. He felt the tension in him rise to uncontrollable levels, and before Mac could stop himself, he was coming over Danny's hand and the bed.

Danny was too far gone to issue punishment, listening to Mac's cries and feeling his own orgasm arrive swiftly. He had let go of Mac's erection seconds before, only to clutch blindly at Mac's hip, trying to do whatever he could to avoid thrashing too much.

The climax left him listless, but he was still able to pull slowly out of Mac. The shivers were the first thing he noticed, crawling up to Mac to wrap his arms around him. Mac's eyes were wide and his breathing was gently going back to normal. He let his head sag against Danny's sweat-soaked chest, enjoying the way Danny breathed. In and out, up and down.

Danny reached with a clean hand to pet at Mac's hair. "Hey…"

"Hey back."

His fingers curled into the strands delicately, in direct contrast to how they were only minutes before. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Mac's eyes were slowly shutting, but he still answered in a contented breath, "No… Thank you, Danny." The last thing Mac made note of before he drifted into sleep was the smell of Danny: sex, sweat, and comfort, whatever that was.

Danny smiled as he realized Mac had fallen asleep, judging by the soft sighs fluttering across his bare chest. He leaned down and kissed the top of Mac's head. "No problem, Mac."

He looked upwards and tried to think of how he got so lucky. But before he could come up with an answer, Danny was met with a similar and found it particularly hard to keep his eyes open. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the tight and sleepy clutch Mac had upon his waist and ultimately, his heart.

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A/N Okay, so I'm gonna be gone for 2 and a half weeks, so that means prolly no fics, unless I get internet access in some of the RV parks. I will be typing up stories though b/c we're taking my lappy. Aww but no more Solitary Gunshot... Phooey. Hope ya'll enjoyed it as much as I did!


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